“A Man to Follow, Not to Ride With”: Anthony Hope’s The God in the Car () and the Multifaceted Threat of Cecil Rhodes

Abstract

Anthony Hope’s The God in the Car was published in late 1894, at the same time Cecil Rhodes was dominating the news following his defeat of the Matabele people, a step in bringing South Africa into the British Empire. Hope presents the character Willie Ruston, a version of Rhodes, who is attempting to attract British investors into securing his own southern African land, Omofaga. Rather than creating an accurate portrait or caricature of Rhodes, Hope makes Ruston into a multifaceted figure who is preying both on the investors and especially on Mrs. Maggie Dennison. This latter character effectively takes the role of Britain, showing that Rhodes-style imperialism is as much a threat to morality as it is to business.