The Bonfire of the Vanities: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Bonfire of the Vanities" is a novel that delves into the complexities of race, class, and morality in New York City during the 1980s. The story centers on Sherman McCoy, a wealthy Wall Street investment banker who finds his life spiraling out of control after a life-altering incident involving two African American teenagers. Sherman is emblematic of the excesses of the era, viewing himself as a "Master of the Universe" until his privileged position crumbles in the face of public scrutiny and legal challenges.
Key characters include Judy McCoy, Sherman's wife, who embodies the archetype of the neglected spouse, and Maria Ruskin, his mistress, who is driven by self-interest and fear of her own social fallout. Peter Fallow, a sensationalist reporter, represents the media's opportunistic nature, while Reverend Reginald Bacon exploits the situation for personal gain. Ambitious district attorney Lawrence Kramer and honest Judge Myron Kovitsky further complicate the narrative, each motivated by their ambitions and ideals.
Together, these characters navigate a landscape rife with societal tensions, highlighting issues of privilege, betrayal, and the often brutal reality of urban life. The novel serves as a critique of the American Dream, revealing the fragility of status and the moral dilemmas faced by each character in their quest for survival and redemption.
The Bonfire of the Vanities: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Tom Wolfe
First published: 1987
Genre: Novel
Locale: New York City
Plot: Social realism
Time: 1980's
Sherman McCoy, a thirty-eight-year-old Wall Street investment banker who earns a million dollars a year trading in bonds. At the peak of his career, he considers himself a “Master of the Universe.” Sherman, for all his faults, is one of the entrepreneurs who bring billions of dollars into New York City to feed, clothe, and house its inhabitants. He is married and has a young daughter but maintains an adulterous relationship with a sexy Southern belle. Their affair leads to disaster when they are attacked by two teenage African Americans after they make a wrong turn off the expressway. One of the predators is seriously injured by Sherman's Mercedes while Sherman's panicked mistress is behind the wheel. The media quickly present the incident as if a wealthy white person callously left an innocent black youth to die on the pavement after running him down in his luxury car. This presentation pressures the police into making a major investigation. When Sherman is identified, he is thrown into jail with hardened criminals. He loses his job and his large income because his company is afraid of adverse publicity. He is stripped of his assets while defending himself in a first trial that is thrown out of court and a second trial that ends with a hung jury. The experience toughens him. He has always been protected by money and social status but becomes an impoverished, radical urban guerrilla fighting the justice system and the ignorant masses who are deluded by a black demagogue and the venal press. At the conclusion of the novel, the injured black teenager has died of his injuries and Sherman faces a possible sentence of up to twenty-five years if convicted of manslaughter in his third trial.
Judy McCoy, Sherman's fading wife, who knows he is having an affair and does not care. She fancies herself an artist and interior decorator and manages to keep Sherman broke by spending all of his income on furnishings and meretricious artwork. Like all the characters in the novel, Judy represents a New York type rather than a unique individual. She is a typical first wife who is discarded in favor of a younger, more glamorous woman by a husband who achieves spectacular financial success.
Maria Ruskin, Sherman's mistress, who is married to an elderly multimillionaire and is waiting for him to die. She is spoiled, selfish, and more ruthless than Sherman, who was educated in an Ivy League college and has had his mind filled with liberal ideals. Maria refuses to provide Sherman with an alibi for the night of the accident because she is afraid that her husband would divorce her if he learned she had been out late with another man.
Peter Fallow, an alcoholic English reporter for a New York scandal sheet. He exploits Sherman's case because it makes lurid reading for the ignorant masses who buy his newspaper. He cares nothing about the truth but only about selling papers and holding on to his job. He is chronically in danger of being fired because of his drinking and laziness.
The Reverend Reginald Bacon, a corrupt black minister with dubious credentials. He stages demonstrations to exploit Sherman's case for personal profit. He receives cash payoffs from the white establishment for keeping the underprivileged blacks of New York City from rioting, burning, and looting. He cares nothing about the true facts in Sherman's case but makes the injured black hoodlum seem like a martyr to white prejudice and injustice. The crafty, cynical Bacon knows that whites are not providing welfare for nonwhites out of compassion or idealism but because of their fear of violent revolution.
Lawrence Kramer, an ambitious young assistant district attorney who prosecutes Sherman in his first trial for reckless endangerment. Kramer resents the fact that Sherman earns a million dollars a year and lives in a Park Avenue condominium worth several million dollars. Kramer does not understand that part of his zeal in prosecuting Sherman is motivated by envy. He cares nothing about the facts but wants to win a legal victory and become famous through this highly publicized case.
Judge Myron Kovitsky, a feisty judge who presides over Sherman's first trial and is the only person interested in getting at the truth. He defies media and mob pressure when he throws the case out of court for violation of due process.
Thomas Killian, Sherman's streetwise defense attorney, who teaches Sherman the real facts of life and serves as a spokesman for the author, who believes that whites in America are losing their privileged position because of the influx of nonwhites and will have to learn, like Sherman McCoy, to fight for survival.