Theodore Decker

**Theodore Decker**, more often referred to as Theo, is the protagonist of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer-winning novel *The Goldfinch*. He is a survivor of a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, an antique dealer, and an addict. He is portrayed Ansel Elgort and Oakes Fegley

> A great sorrow, and one that l am only beginning to understand: we don't get to choose our own hearts. We can't make ourselves want what's good for us or what's good for other people. We don't get to choose the people we are.
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## Biography

### Early Life

Theodore Decker was born in New York, New York, to parents Audrey and Larry Decker. He lived in an apartment in Manhattan with both parents until his already-distant father disappeared without a trace, after presumably cheating on his mother, stealing her belongings, and accruing a large amount of debt. The event didn't disrupt Theo or his Mother's routines; in fact, his disappearance was considered an improvement by the pair. Theo's relationship with his mother was close-knit, adoring, and comfortable. He often admires her intellect and beauty, but incites that her marriage to his father was an unlucky event.

On April 10th, Theo and his mother are called in for a conference with his principal to discuss his suspension. After exiting their cab early due to his mother's car sickness, the pair enter the Metropolitan Museum of Art to escape an unexpected rainfall. In the museum, Theo catches sight of a young girl, Pippa, and her elderly guardian. Intrigued by the girl, Theo declines to accompany his mother back into the gallery. Shortly after, a series of bombs are detonated in the museum.

In the rubble, Theo comes to and notices the elderly man (Welty Blackwell) he saw earlier with Pippa. The disoriented pair converse, and Welty urges Theo to retrieve famous Carel Fabritius painting The Goldfinch laying nearby, which he does to placate the distressed man. Welty gives Theo a ring off of his finger, along with vague instructions toward Hobart and Blackwell, before succumbing to his injuries.

Distressed and confused, Theo makes his way out of the wreckage of the Museum and walks back home to his apartment alone with ring and painting in tow, certain that his mother will meet him there.

### Staying with the Barbours

After learning that his mother was killed in the Museum bombing, Theo goes to stay with the Barbours on Park Avenue, the family of his elementary school friend Andy. Although Theo and Andy are no longer close, the Barbours take Thei in without question. During his stay with the Barbours, Theo takes the time to look up Hobart and Blackwell and travels across the town to the Village with Welty’s ring.

Upon arrival, Theo meets James Hobart (Hobie), Welty's business partner in the antique shop they ran together. He also discovers that Pippa, the girl from the museum, survived the blast and is recovering in the townhouse above the shop. Theo begins to visit Hobie and Pippa frequently, helping Hobie in the shop and getting to know Pippa

Just as he is starting to emerge from his grief and settle into life with the Barbours, however, Theo's father unexpectedly reenters to take him to Vegas where he lives with his girlfriend, Xandra. Theo suspects that his father has been seeing Xandra since before his disappearance. Still, Theo retrieves the stolen Goldfinch painting from his old apartment just in time to be ushered out West.

### Life in Las Vegas

Shortly after arriving in Las Vegas Theo begins school, where he meets Boris Pavlikovsky, who he describes as "one of the great friends of my life". The pair quickly become inseperable, spending long periods of time at one another's houses, stealing food from local supermarkets together, and eventually beginning to experiment with drugs and alcohol. At some point, during a drunken stupor, Theo reveals to Boris that he is in possession of the stolen Goldfinch painting, although he does not remember doing so.

Theo notices that his father and Xandra seem to be addicted to painkillers, although he himself does not take them. His father appears to be making his living on gambling, both on sports and at the Bakara salon, although he does not take much interest in his father's life, as he still harbors a deep resentment toward him for cheating on his mother and selling her things after her death.

As his father attempts to get closer to him, however, Theo begins to question his stability. The arrival of Bobo Silver at the door one morning, accompanied by a man with a baseball bat, makes Theo suspect that his father may be in a large amount of debt again. This is later confirmed when Theo is forced to call his mother's lawyer and attempt to withdraw a large sum of money under the guise of using it to attend private school. When the attempt is unsuccessful, Larry becomes extremely distressed and disappears.

Later, while Theo and Boris are trying out psychedelics together, they are informed that Theo's father has passed away in a car accident. Worried about his future and unwilling to fall into State Care, Theo packs his things, raids Xandra's room (where he finds money and a significant amount of drugs), takes her dog, Popper, and leaves Vegas, headed back for New York

### Partnership with Hobie

When Theo arrives on the steps to Hobie's shop, Hobie takes him in and willingly assumes temporary guardians of the now-orphaned boy. Theo adjusts well to life in the shop, begins an early college program, and eventually starts to mind the shop

Quickly, he discovers that there is a good deal of shoplifting going on in the store, and that Hobie is underselling most of his pieces. Although he begins with simply marking up prices, Theo quickly begins to dig himself deep into the world of forgeries, passing off Hobie's restorations and "changelings" as authentic original pieces of antique furniture without Hobie's knowledge. This works well to relieve Hobie of his financial worries and dig the shop out of debt, however, it soon lands Theo in a bit of trouble.

After reconnecting with Platt Barbour by a chance encounter on the street, Theo learns that Andy and his father were killed in a boating accident years prior. He begins to visit the Barbours again regularly, to Samantha's delight, and quickly begins seeing Kitsey Barbour romantically. The pair get engaged, and stay that way even after Theo discovers that Kitsey is having an affair with his old schoolmate Tom Cable. Kitsey insists that they are a good match despite her affair and his persistent addiction to opioids.

Theo, overwhelmed by his revelation about Kitsey and his entanglement with a client, Lucius Reeves, who he had sold one of Hobie's "changeling" pieces of furniture passed of for a genuine and claims he knows about Theo's connection to the Goldfinch (which Theo believes he has safely kept in a storage unit) goes in search of more opioids. When he strikes out at a bar, he leaves, humiliated, only to be followed out by Boris. The pair reconnect over an evening of drinks and drugs, during which Boris reveals that he had stolen the painting from Theo years ago in Vegas, and recently lost it in a Miami drug deal where he had been using the painting as collateral.

### Amsterdam

Boris attends Theo and Kitsey's engagement party, during which Theo is under some notable distress after learning that the whereabouts of the painting are unknown and all he has safely stored in the storage unit is a high school civics text book. Boris tells Theo that he knows where the painting is, and that he must go home to get whatever cash he can find so they can go to Amsterdam together to get it back.

## Personality

Theo is an intelligent, imaginative young man, who frequently daydreams and imagines vivid, dramatic scenarios around himself and the people he sees. He can be stubborn and selfish at times, separated from any concrete adult supervision at a young age, but leans into care from adults he trusts like Mrs. Barbour and Hobie. He seems to have inherited parts of his father's addictive personality, much to his displeasure, as he developed substance abuse problems and an addiction to painkillers before he turned eighteen.

He has a specific sense of loyalty that ties him to people for life: his loyalty to his mother that left him permanently jaded toward his father, his loyalty to Boris that lead him to jealousy and irritation when Boris began seeing a steady girlfriend, and his loyalty to the Barbours that led him on the path of a strained engagement to Kitsey even after he discovered her infidelity.

Theo has a habit of holding on tightly to things that give him comfort, whether people or paintings. He can be possessive, jealous, and even obsessive about people and things he holds dear, for example Pippa, who he constantly longs for and fantasizes about.

## Relationships

#### Audrey Decker

Theo has a very strong attachment to his mother both before and after her death. He views them as a pair, comrades, the two of them against the world, especially after his father left. Theo recalls his mother as elegant, intelligent and resourceful, frequently picturing her first few years after she moved to New York. Their relationship is doting, affectionate and strong, the pair of them able to decipher each other's body language and anticipate moods easily. He clings to her memory after her death, attached to her possessions and her history, unable to comprehend her loss. He often dreams of trying to locate her in strange parts of the city only to arrive too late and have missed her.

#### Andy Barbour

Andy is Theo’s childhood friend. The two of them were “as thick as thieves” as described my Mrs. Barbour, Andy’s mother, although Theo does not fully agree, citing that he hasn't been close with Andy for some time. The two boys became friends when they were moved up a grade and were bullied by the older children for such, being relentlessly called names and sometimes even physically tormented. After his mother’s death, Theo stays with Andy’s family, although they hadn't spoken for some time. They become closer again during Theo's stay.

In adulthood, Andy passes away in a sailing accident, which Theo finds ironic considering Andy has always been vocal about his hatred of sailing. The news of Andy's passing causes Theo to reconnect with the rest of the Barbour family and eventually become engaged to Andy's younger sister Kitsey.

#### Samantha Barbour

Samantha is Theo’s temporary guardian after his mother’s death. Theo describes Samantha as “not beautiful, but so graceful that you think she is beautiful”. Samantha has apparently always seen Theo as one of her own children. It is assumed, by some, that Theo marries Kitsey in a want for Samantha to be his own mother, despite his disgust towards her appearance.

#### Pippa Blackwell

Pippa is Theo’s primary love interest/obsession. Theo first sees (or meets) Pippa when in the Met and is astonished by her. After the bombing on the museum, Theo officially meets her through Hobie, who she stayed with after her uncle Welty’s death. Theo tries to visit Pippa often after the bombing, which was occasionally included with general visits with Hobie. After they first meet, it is revealed that Pippa is going to live with her aunt Margaret, since she is her nearest relative by blood. During this visit, Pippa holds Theo’s hand and kisses him goodbye while delirious, both from general exhaustion and her morphine lollipop. Into adulthood, when Theo finally gets to see Pippa more often, he becomes extremely obsessed with her, stealing her dirty shirts and snippets of her hair from the trash to be closer to her. He despises Pippa’s boyfriend, Everett, even going so far as to say he wanted to “knock his horsey English teeth out”. Theo believes that Everett only wants to be with Pippa for her money. However, Pippa only sees him as a friend and does not reciprocate his feelings.

**Tom Cable**

Tom is one of Theo’s school friends from before the bombing. Tom and Theo were seemingly close, breaking into vacation homes and discussing the future. Theo blames Tom partially for his mother's death, because it was Tom's cigarettes that got him into trouble and called into a meeting with the headmaster on the day of the bombing. Afterward, Tom almost completely ignored Theo, possibly out of guilt. They were never able to fully revive their friendship, and later, Kitsey cheats on Theo with Tom, leaving the already bitter relationship in an irreparable state.

#### James “Hobie” Hobart

Hobie is Theo’s guardian after he runs away from Vegas. After the bombing, Theo takes Welty’s ring to him. Hobie questions Theo and tells him about history when they first meet, and apparently knew that Theo’s mother was killed in the bombing. Eventually, Theo becomes fascinated by antiques, to which Hobie teaches him about restoration and even allows him to help with it when possible. It is also revealed that Hobie has done work for the Barbour family in the past. After he runs away from Las Vegas, he stays with Hobie for eight years, where Hobie becomes his guardian. Despite Hobie not wanting him to, Theo buys groceries for him occasionally when he first stays with him. He also attends lunches and dinners with Hobie’s friends. Still having the painting, Theo is extremely afraid of Hobie finding out that he took it, not knowing if he would report him to the police, tell him he did the right thing, etcetera. Going into adulthood, Theo becomes business partners with Hobie, taking on Welty’s role as a salesman. Theo is quite good at this, but eventually reveals that he has been selling fraudulent antiques and scamming his clients. He eventually tells Hobie, who encourages him to set things right with his clients. Despite his fear as a child, Theo eventually tells Hobie about the scandal with the painting, to which Hobie tells him about art history and Welty’s relationship with it.

#### Larry Decker

Larry is Theo’s biological father. After staying with the Barbours for nearly a month, Larry comes to take Theo with him to Las Vegas and become his guardian once again. Theo abhors his father, but gives him a second chance regardless, as he doesn’t really have a choice. Larry claims to want to redeem himself, but this is eventually revealed to have not been true; Larry only took Theo in to try and use the money he had from Audrey’s will. After being unable to obtain this money, Larry drinks greatly and dies in a car crash, which partially leads to Theo running away.

#### Xandra Terrell

Xandra is Theo’s step mother. Xandra doesn’t seem to like Theo very much, as she brushes off everything he says with “apparently” and complains about having to take care of him to her friends. However, she brings him (and Boris) food back from the buffet at the bar she works at. Xandra clearly takes great disgust in Theo after he seems to not care about Larry’s death. She also claims—while he lives in New York—that his mother didn’t matter that much, as did his father.

#### Boris Pavlikovsky

Boris is Theo’s best friend while he lives in Las Vegas. The two boys meet when they are placed in the same English class, due to Boris calling one of the girls a ‘twat’. The two sit on the same bus to go home from school and discuss each others’ lives. Boris nicknames Theo “Potter” due to his tortoiseshell glasses and short brown hair. Boris takes Theo to his house after school, where they drink beer and talk about their mothers together. Boris shows Theo his room, where they were supposed to watch a movie together, but don’t because they can’t stop talking to each other. This leads to a long, two-year lasting friendship between them, consisting of shoplifting, doing drugs like pot and cocaine, sharing what money they have, burning candy bars on playgrounds, etcetera. The two boys grow inseparable during their time together, due to their similar trauma and not having any other friends around. They also partake in sexual activities together, which they never talk about until, vaguely, in adulthood. After Theo’s father dies, Theo fears that his father’s girlfriend, Xandra, will put him in a home. Because of this, he decides on running away, but Boris encourages him to plan it and wait a day or two beforehand. Out of impulse, Boris stole the painting and wishes to give it back to Theo, which is why he did not want him to leave. Theo doesn’t know this until adulthood. Before Theo leaves, he rambles about what they’ll do together while living in New York, but Boris stops him by kissing him goodbye. After running away, Theo is unsure that he will ever see Boris again. As an adult, Theo does eventually reunite with Boris at a bar, where he attempts to purchase drugs. They inform each other on what they’re doing as adults, their jobs and love lives and such, before Theo takes Boris to meet Hobie. Boris then takes Theo on a drive, where he meets Boris’ driver, Gyuri. Boris eventually reveals to Theo that he stole the painting, to which they do not speak for several days afterwards. Boris feels awful about his doing, and does everything he can to set things right with him again.

#### Kitsey Barbour

Kitsey is Theo’s fiancé. As children, Kitsey dislikes Theo and finds him to be annoying—they haven’t much of a relationship. As adults, Kitsey “makes up” with Theo after Theo reunites with Samantha. The two start dating and get engaged very quickly. Because of this, Theo seems to realize that he supposedly has always been in love with her, which most believe is not true. Theo begins living with her, though her roommates, Francie and Em, don’t like him. Theo enjoys having Kitsey “all to himself” and doesn’t enjoy spending all his time with her with other people included. While aware of her past with Tom Cable, Theo catches Kitsey kissing Tom outside of a florist shop, which he confronts her about angrily. Despite this, they stay engaged, and their engagement party continues. During this engagement party, Boris tells Theo his painting is in Amsterdam, where Theo runs off to and doesn’t return for a week or more. At the end, it is implied that they never got married.

#### Lucius Reeve

Lucius is one of Theo’s clients while he is working with Hobie. Theo sells Lucius one of his fraudulent antiques without knowing that Lucius is able to tell the difference. Theo attempts to pay Lucius more than what he paid for the piece, but Lucius denies his offer. Eventually, Lucius figures out that Theo is the one who stole the painting. Very poorly, Theo denies this accusation and refuses to speak with Lucius any further unless about the piece he sold him. Lucius sends Theo many angry letters talking about the painting, but Theo simply discards all of them, and they rarely ever speak again afterwards.

#### Platt Barbour

As adults, Platt and Theo interact much more often (and seemingly more positively) than when they were children. Platt reveals to Theo that Andy and Chance Barbour passed away in a sailing accident and reintroduces him to Samantha, Kitsey, and Toddy. As Theo gets closer with the Barbours, Platt wants to sell Samantha’s old antiques to Theo in exchange for money, which, essentially, fails.

#### Kotku Hutchins

Kotku is considered an enemy of Theo. In Vegas, Boris begins dating Kotku and spends the majority of his time with her, which makes Theo furious. Theo hates her because of his jealousy towards them. He considers her a “delinquent”. However, Boris reveals part of her background: she was once homeless due to her mother’s boyfriend doing things to her, which makes Theo sympathetic towards her. Kotku also dislikes Theo, because she thinks he’s “spoiled” and that he hasn’t been through nearly as much as her and Boris have.