Theodore Decker



Theodore Decker, more often called 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 by Oakes Fegley and Ansel Elgort in the 2019 film adaptation.

A great sorrow, and one that I 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.

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 and accruing a large amount of debt. The event didn't disrupt Theo or his Mother's routines, and in fact, 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 for her.

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, where he 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, and, 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 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 Theo in without question. During his stay with the Barbours, Theo takes the time to look up Hobart and Blackwell and travel across 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 consuming grief and settle into life with the Barbours, however, Theo's father unexpectedly reenters to take him to Vegas with his girlfriend, Xandra. Theo suspects that his father has been seeing Xandra since long 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.

Theo notices that his father and Xandra seem to be fairly 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, he questions his father's stability further. 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 proved 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 guardianship 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.