1876: Analysis of Major Characters
"1876: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives and interactions of several key figures during a transformative period in American history. The narrator, Charles Schermerhorn Schuyler, is a seasoned journalist and historian navigating personal and professional upheaval while aiming to secure the presidency for Samuel Tilden. His daughter, Emma Schuyler, emerges as a significant character; a widow with financial woes, she juggles her children's needs in France and her evolving romantic entanglements, ultimately marrying William Sanford.
Supporting characters include John Day Apgar, Emma's initial fiancé, and Denise Sanford, William's first wife, whose tragic fate shapes the narrative. The story also features prominent historical figures such as Ulysses S. Grant, the sitting president contemplating his political future, and James Garfield, a congressman who earns Schuyler's trust. Through these interwoven lives, the analysis highlights themes of ambition, family loyalty, and the political climate of the era, providing insight into the complexities of personal and public life in the United States during the late 19th century.
1876: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Gore Vidal
First published: 1976
Genre: Historical chronicle
Locale: New York City and Washington, D.C.
Plot: Historical
Time: 1875–1877
Charles Schermerhorn Schuyler, the narrator, a journalist and historian who returns to the United States with his daughter, Emma. His fortune having been destroyed recently, he is forced to take journalistic assignments to support himself and his daughter. His ultimate goal is to secure the presidency for Samuel Tilden and, consequently, to earn a diplomatic post in France for himself. Although he finds enough energy to visit several houses of prostitution, his advancing age causes him much illness. He seems to respect deeply his daughter's intellect, and he frequently relates her observations of people and events as well as his own. He dies at the end of the novel. His death is recorded by the character William Cullen Bryant in a special dispatch to The New York Evening Post.
Emma Schuyler, the thirty-five-year-old daughter of Charles Schuyler. Having been reared in France and later married to a French prince, she is widowed when the novel begins. Creditors and her mother-in-law's demand for money leave Emma almost penniless after her husband's death. What money she has left, she must use to support her two children, who remain in France. Although engaged to John Day Apgar for a large part of the novel, she eventually marries William Sanford three months after his wife's death during childbirth.
John Day Apgar, Emma's suitor and fiancé. He is replaced in her affections by William Sanford.
James Bennett, the publisher of the New York Herald, for which Schuyler writes. He has a habit of beginning to drink as early as nine in the morning. He is a comic yet likable character.
William Cullen Bryant, a renowned American poet and editor of The New York Evening Post, a newspaper that often publishes Schuyler's work. Older than Schuyler, Bryant is much more physically fit and walks to his office daily.
Charles Nordhoff, a journalist with whom Schuyler frequently comes into contact.
William Sanford, a millionaire whom Emma interests in politics and who is married to Denise Sanford. After his wife's death in childbirth, he marries Emma.
Denise Sanford, William Sanford's wife and a close friend of Emma. Having been told that she cannot bear children safely, she abstains from pregnancy. After receiving advice later that she may possibly bear a child without harm to herself, she becomes pregnant, carries the baby to full term, and then dies in childbirth, leaving behind her newborn daughter, Blaise Delacroix Sanford, and her husband.
Ulysses S. Grant,aUnionArmyherooftheCivilWarwho is serving a second term as U.S. president. There is talk of his running for a third term, but eventually Grant decides not to run, realizing that the citizens no longer adore him as they did in the past. Schuyler often speculates about Grant's possible involvement in what some might call criminal activities.
Samuel Tilden, the Democratic candidate for president whom Schuyler supports. He wins the nation's popular vote but loses in the electoral college because of a discrepancy over the counting of votes in three Southern states.
James Garfield, a Republican congressman of whom Schuyler is fond. The narrator finds that he trusts Garfield in spite of his better judgment.