Dries Schoonejans (played by Henri Étiévant) is a protagonist in The Absentee.
Dries is a farmer and widower who lives with his mother-in-law and son. Despite opposition from his family and friends, he falls in love with Minna and marries her. His marriage drives the family conflict: Peter leaves home in anger, while Dries and Minna's household becomes divided from their relatives. Peter Schoonejans (played by Henri Rollan) appears in The Absentee.
Peter is Dries's son. Angry about his father's marriage to Minna, he leaves home to enlist. Six years later, while ill in Sumatra, he falls in love with Dina through photographs and recovers; after returning to Holland, he meets her and discovers that their love is mutual. Minna Petrus (played by Germaine Dermoz) appears in The Absentee.
Minna is a widow who falls in love with Dries and marries him despite opposition from his family and friends. She is Peter's stepmother and Dina's mother. After the years of separation and conflict, Minna takes the initiative to bring about a reunion between the divided families and eventually succeeds.
The Absentee (1913) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Dries Schoonejans
(played by Henri Étiévant) — protagonist
Dries is a farmer and widower who lives with his mother-in-law and son. Despite opposition from his family and friends, he falls in love with Minna and marries her. His marriage drives the family conf...
Peter Schoonejans
(played by Henri Rollan) — supporting
Peter is Dries's son. Angry about his father's marriage to Minna, he leaves home to enlist. Six years later, while ill in Sumatra, he falls in love with Dina through photographs and recovers; after re...
Minna Petrus
(played by Germaine Dermoz) — supporting
Minna is a widow who falls in love with Dries and marries him despite opposition from his family and friends. She is Peter's stepmother and Dina's mother. After the years of separation and conflict, M...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Peter Schoonejans → Minna Petrus
(Family Stepson And Stepmother)
Peter is Dries's son, and Minna becomes Dries's wife; Peter leaves home after the marriage.
Dries Schoonejans → Minna Petrus
(Romantic Husband)
Dries falls in love with Minna, a widow, and marries her despite opposition from his family and friends.
Dries Schoonejans → Peter Schoonejans
(Family Father)
The plot identifies Dries as a farmer and widower living with his son Peter.
Story Analysis
A divided family gradually moves from resentment and separation toward love, mediation, and reunion.
