# Julian West — Looking Backward character guide > Julian West in Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mr. Julian West, Mr. West **First appearance:** 0001-looking-backward ## Snapshot A wealthy nineteenth-century Bostonian who wakes in the year 2000, serving as the reader's baffled, privileged guide to a world remade. ## Who they are Julian West belongs to the coach-riding class of 1887, engaged to Edith Bartlett and insulated by money from the misery he half-acknowledges. His hypnotic sleep drops him into Dr. Leete's Boston, where every assumption he carried about labor, class, and progress is patiently dismantled. His shame at his own former indifference, and his growing hunger to believe the new order is real, drive the book's central argument. ## Relationships ### [Edith Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/edith_leete) _romantic_ Duplicate entry: Edith and Julian's romantic bond is the central relationship of the novel. ### [Dr. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/dr_leete) _friendship_ Dr. Leete acts as Julian's mentor and friend, explaining the workings of the utopian society to him. ### [Mrs. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/mrs_leete) _social_ Julian interacts with Mrs. Leete as a polite guest in her home, with limited direct engagement. ### [Mr. Barton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/mr_barton) _social_ Julian hears Mr. Barton's public speech and has a brief, formal interaction with him. ### [Berrian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/berrian) _social_ Berrian and Julian have a minimal social interaction, likely as part of a larger group. ### [Edith Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/edith_leete) _romantic_ Duplicate entry: Edith and Julian's romantic bond is the central relationship of the novel. ### [Dr. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/dr_leete) _friendship_ Dr. Leete acts as Julian's mentor and friend, explaining the workings of the utopian society to him. ### [Dr. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/dr_leete) _friendship_ Dr. Leete acts as Julian's mentor and friend, explaining the workings of the utopian society to him. ### [Edith Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/edith_leete) _romantic_ Duplicate entry: Edith and Julian's romantic bond is the central relationship of the novel. ### [Mrs. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/mrs_leete) _social_ Julian interacts with Mrs. Leete as a polite guest in her home, with limited direct engagement. ## In the story ### [Author's Preface](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/author-s-preface) Mentioned as the narrator who will speak for himself in the main text. ### [Looking Backward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/looking-backward) Narrator and protagonist; a wealthy Bostonian describing his life and the social conditions of 1887. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/i) Narrator and wealthy protagonist who describes the labor crisis and his personal stake in the existing social order. ### [Chapter II: The Mesmeric Trance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/ii) Narrator and protagonist; suffers from insomnia and uses mesmerism to sleep. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/iii) Awakens from a long trance, initially disbelieving but eventually convinced he is in the year 2000. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/iv) Julian is the narrator, still marveling at the new Boston and meeting the Leete family. ### [Chapter V: The Great Trust and the Evolution of Industry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/v) Julian listens to Dr. Leete's explanation of the transition from 19th-century capitalism to the new industrial system, expressing his surprise that such a vast change occurred without violence. ### [Chapter VI: The Industrial Army and the New Social Order](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/vi) Julian listens to Dr. Leete's explanation of the industrial army and questions the extension of government functions and the potential for corruption. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/vii) Asks detailed questions about the industrial army, wage determination, and professional training. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/viii) Awakens disoriented, struggles with identity crisis, walks through transformed Boston, and is comforted by Edith Leete. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/ix) Engages in deep conversation with Dr. Leete about the new economic system, expressing incredulity at the idea of equal shares for all workers. ### [Shopping in the Twentieth Century](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/x) Julian accompanies Edith to the sample store, marveling at the efficiency and honesty of the new system and contrasting it with the manipulative sales tactics of his own era. ### [Chapter XI: Inheritance, Domestic Service, and the Music of the Future](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xi) Asks questions about inheritance, domestic service, and medical care; expresses delight at the music system. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xii) Asks questions about the industrial army and expresses curiosity about incentives and grading. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xiii) Asks about emigration and travel, reads Dickens in the library, reflects on the transformation of society. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xiv) Observes the waiter's demeanor and reflects on the changed attitudes toward service work. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xv) Engages in conversation about literature and publishing, reads Berrian's novel Penthesilia, and reflects on the differences between the 19th and 20th centuries. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xvi) Expresses gratitude to Edith for saving his reason, discusses his uncertain place in the new society, and is offered a historical lectureship. ### [Chapter XVII: The Logic of Production and Distribution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xvii) Visits the warehouse, asks detailed questions about production and pricing, and expresses concern about minority rights in the new system. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xviii) Engages Dr. Leete in conversation about retirement at age 45, expressing the 19th-century view that it would be a hardship. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xix) The narrator who questions Dr. Leete about crime and government in the new society. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xx) Visits his underground chamber and grapples with his emotional detachment from his former life. ### [Education and Physical Culture in the Twentieth Century](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxi) Julian accompanies Dr. Leete to inspect schools and discusses educational differences between the 19th and 20th centuries. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxii) Questions Dr. Leete about the source of the nation's wealth, contrasting it with 19th-century poverty. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxiii) Julian presses Edith about the secret conversation he overheard, is puzzled by her reaction, and agrees to her request not to investigate further. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxiv) Julian goes downstairs early, seeks Edith, visits the underground chamber, and brings a 1887 newspaper to breakfast. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxv) Engages in conversation with Dr. Leete about women's roles and reflects on Edith Leete's personality. ### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxvi) Implied listener of Dr. Leete's explanation, representing the 19th-century perspective. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxvii) Falls into deep depression on his first Sunday in the new century, feeling isolated and unworthy of love; confesses his love for Edith Leete. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxviii) Narrator and protagonist, now awake in the 19th century, deeply affected by his dream of the future. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/endnotes) Narrator and commentator on the contrasts between the 19th and 20th centuries. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/julian_west - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters