Against the Day: Analysis of Major Characters
"Against the Day" features a complex tapestry of characters, each navigating themes of vengeance, love, and the socio-political landscape of their time. Central to the narrative is Kit Traverse, a mathematical prodigy driven by the quest to avenge his father's murder, whose journey takes him from Yale to Europe and Siberia, encountering both danger and friendship along the way. His brothers, Frank and Reef, also grapple with their father's death, with Frank delving into disguises and societal critique in his relentless pursuit of vengeance, while Reef, characterized as an unpredictable cardsharp, seeks familial closure and love in the aftermath of tragedy.
The story also introduces Webb Traverse, the patriarch and anarchist whose explosive defiance against capitalist forces leads to his demise at the hands of Scarsdale Vibe, a wealthy mine owner with little regard for the working class. Vibe's assistant, Foley Walker, ultimately takes a dark turn, killing his employer instead of defending him, showcasing the moral complexities and shifting loyalties present in the narrative. Other notable figures include Lewis Basnight, whose transformation from investigator to sympathetic ally of the oppressed adds depth to the exploration of class struggle, and Randolph St. Cosmo, who leads a group of adventurous young pilots in search of mythical treasure.
The interplay of these characters against the backdrop of early 20th-century socio-political upheaval offers rich insights into themes of justice, betrayal, and the quest for meaning amid chaos.
Against the Day: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr.
First published: 2006
Genre: Novel
Locale: Denver, Colorado; Venice, Italy; New York; London, England; Utah; Mexico
Plot: Absurdist
Time: 1893–1920
Kit Traverse, a math genius who attended Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, the youngest son of Webb Traverse. After his father is killed, Kit joins his two brothers, Frank and Reef, in their quest to avenge his death. While traveling to graduate school in Göttingen, Germany, Kit is pursued by Scarsdale Vibe's goons. He winds up in Flanders, Belgium, where he escapes Vibe's henchman in a mayonnaise factory with the help of his friends Rocco and Pino. Next, he is in Siberia in 1908 on the day of the Tunguska Event, which demolishes eight hundred square miles of forest. Later, he meets a pilot named Renzo in Turin, Italy, and the two go joyriding in his plane together.
Frank Traverse, the second son of Webb Traverse, who goes to great lengths to avenge his father's death. He travels to Denver, Colorado, and utilizes a number of disguises to investigate the murder. Vibe Corp. frequently offers him a job. He grows disdainful of wealth and heads to Leadville, Colorado, where he becomes enamored with anthropologist Wren Provenance. After a brief romance, he begins hunting for his father's killers again. After a looking for the killers in Mexico, he is haunted by dreams of his father. Finally, he track downs one of the killers, Sloat Fresno, and shoots him dead.
Reef Traverse, the eldest son of Webb Traverse. He is a cardsharp and a ladies' man, though sometimes perceived as unstable and unreliable. In Utah, he meets Estrella “Stray” Biggs and together, they have a son, Jesse Traverse. After the murder of his father, Reef travels to Jeshimon, Utah, where he retrieves his father's corpse so his family can hold a proper funeral in Telluride, Colorado.
Webb Traverse, an anarchist dynamiter from Colorado. Using his skills with explosives, Webb terrorized the mining and railroad interests of industrialists such as Scarsdale Vibe and his mining company, Vibe Corp. He is killed by Sloat Fresno and Deuce Kindred. His sons, Reef, Frank, and Kit, attempt to avenge his death.
Scarsdale Vibe, a capitalist mine owner, art collector, and plutocrat who has Webb Traverse killed. His mining company is called Vibe Corp. An arrogant man with much disdain for the working class, Scarsdale comes from the wealthy community of Scarsdale, New York. When he is drafted for the Civil War, he is wealthy enough to send his assistant, Foley Walker, in his place. He is later murdered by Foley.
Foley Walker, faithful assistant to Scarsdale Vibe who acted as his substitute conscript during the Civil War. In the war, Foley receives a gunshot in the head but survives. From then on, he hears communications from an unknown source. When two anarchists attempt to assassinate Scarsdale in the street, rather than protect him, Foley shoots Scarsdale himself, killing him.
Lewis Basnight, a private investigator employed by White City Investigations. Initially, he is hired to infiltrate the anarchists impeding mining operations in Colorado, but after he sees their working conditions, he begins to understand their reasoning and sympathizes with them. He dies in an explosion and winds up in a parallel universe suffering from memory loss. Eventually, he is able to move between universes and settles down in Los Angeles, California, where he continues working as a private investigator.
Randolph St. Cosmo, ship commander of the invisible hydrogen airship the Inconvenience. He leads the Chums of Chance, a group of young pilots traversing the globe. He and the Chums are hired to locate the Sfincuno Itinerary, a map that allegedly leads to the lost city of Shambhala. Randolph's enemies are the Russians, who have their own airship and are also searching for the Sfincuno Itinerary.
Deuce Kindred, one of Scarsdale Vibe's henchman hired to murder Webb Traverse. He falls in love with Lake Traverse, Webb's daughter, and marries her. When the bombings continue, the mine owners suspect Deuce has not actually killed Webb. He is haunted by the murder he committed and strongly desires Lake's forgiveness. Later, he becomes the sheriff of a small town in Missouri.
Merle Rideout, a photographer and lightning-rod salesman traveling east. His wife, Erlys Rideout, ran away to Venice, Italy, to live with a magician named Zombini. Arriving at Candlebrow University, located somewhere in the heartland of the United States, Merle sells his wares at a bazaar on campus.
Yasheem Halfcourt, a beautiful mathematics prodigy and ward of a British diplomat. She is pursued by the True Wor-shippers of the Ineffable Tetractys (TWIT), a secret spiritual-ist group based in London, England, that is obsessed with tarot cards.