A Canticle for Leibowitz: Analysis of Major Characters
"A Canticle for Leibowitz" is a science fiction novel by Walter M. Miller Jr. that explores themes of faith, knowledge, and the cyclical nature of history in a post-apocalyptic world. The story is structured in three sections, each featuring a distinct set of characters who grapple with the remnants of a nuclear holocaust and the preservation of human knowledge.
Key characters include Brother Francis Gerard, a novice monk whose discovery of relics from the past ignites a religious fervor within the abbey. The enigmatic figure of the pilgrim, appearing under various names throughout the narrative, serves as a catalyst for the characters' reflections on faith and history. Dom Paulo, the abbot of the abbey during a time of increasing secularization, faces challenges regarding the balance between preserving knowledge and engaging with the outside world.
Thon Taddeo Pfardentrott, a secular scholar who challenges the role of religion in scientific discourse, represents the tension between faith and reason. Meanwhile, characters like Dom Zerchi and Mrs. Grales/Rachel respond to the moral dilemmas arising from impending catastrophe, highlighting the novel's exploration of ethics in a world of despair. These interactions among diverse characters reveal the struggle to find meaning and maintain hope amidst the backdrop of humanity's repeated failures. Through their journeys, the novel prompts readers to consider the implications of knowledge, belief, and the persistence of cultural memory.
A Canticle for Leibowitz: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Walter M. Miller, Jr.
First published: 1960 (serial form, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 1955–1957)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Somewhere between Salt Lake City, Utah, and El Paso, Texas
Plot: Science fiction
Time: c. 2500, 3174, and 3781
Brother Francis Gerard, a young, fresh-faced novice of the Albertian order of Leibowitz. Brother Francis discovers a fallout shelter containing relics of the Blessed Leibowitz (who, apparently, was a scientist in pre-nuclear holocaust America). Francis' discovery causes a stir in the abbey, especially because rumors allege that the pilgrim he saw prior to his discovery was Leibowitz himself.
The pilgrim, who also appears as Benjamin Eleazar bar Joshua and Lazarus, an old man who may be the Wandering Jew. His figure appears in each of the three sections of the book, though he is not overtly identified as the same man each time. As the pilgrim, he marks a stone for Brother Francis that leads to discovery of the fallout shelter. As Benjamin Eleazar, he discusses with Dom Paulo the rise of a secular state and waits for a messiah. As Lazarus, he is assigned the role of the man whom Christ raised from the dead and smiles wryly at Abbot Zerchi's hope that there will not be another nuclear holocaust.
Dom Arkos, the abbot of the Leibowitz Abbey in the first section of the book. Arkos attempts to quash the rumors surrounding the man whom Francis met in the desert and turns the examination of the fallout shelter and its contents over to another order. Toward the end of Arkos' tenure, Leibowitz is declared a saint.
Brother Fingo, a man with an unusual pattern of melanin distribution. Fingo carves a wooden statue of Leibowitz that, over the years, vaguely reminds Brother Francis, Dom Paulo, and Dom Zerchi of someone they cannot identify. The implication is that the statue reminds them of the Wandering Jew.
Dom Paulo, the abbot of the Leibowitz Abbey in the second section of the novel. He presides over the abbey during a period in which the secular and religious worlds are beginning to diverge. He refuses to send to the secular capital the ancient manuscripts (the Memorabilia) that the abbey holds, but he allows the secular scholar Thon Taddeo to examine them in situ.
Thon Taddeo Pfardentrott, a brilliant secular scholar. An illegitimate son of the ruling family, he was reared in a Benedictine abbey, which provided him with an excellent education. He nevertheless argues the superiority of secular scholarship and scoffs at religion, saying that science should not be constrained by ethical or religious concerns. Thon Taddeo's abstract work on the nature of electricity leads Brother Kornhoer to construct an electric light.
Brother Kornhoer, a monk at the abbey who constructs a dynamo to generate power for an electric light.
Brother Armbruster, the librarian at the abbey, who sees Brother Kornhoer's work as heretical.
Marcus Apollo, a papal nuncio to the court of Hannegan, the ruler of Texarkana. Apollo tries to warn Dom Paulo about Thon Taddeo's secular loyalties. He is later executed for treason because of his support of New Rome over the political government.
The Poet, a guest at the abbey. He has one removable eye, which he claims enables him to see more clearly. The brothers call it “the Poet's conscience.” The Poet, playing the fool, accuses Thon Taddeo of avoiding the responsibility of preventing misuse that should accompany scientific advances. He tells Thon Taddeo, who has picked up the glass eye, that he has need of it.
Dom Jethrah Zerchi, the abbot in the novel's third section. He must confront the certainty of another nuclear holocaust. He tries to defend the faith in a world gone mad and must argue against euthanasia despite its seeming kindness. The shock wave of a nuclear bomb hits the abbey as he hears the confession of Mrs. Grales. As he lies trapped in the rubble, he receives the Eucharist from Rachel.
Mrs. Grales/Rachel, a two-headed woman. Mrs. Grales is confessing her sins when the shock wave of a nuclear bomb hits the abbey. The effects of the bomb apparently kill Mrs. Grales while raising to life Rachel, her previously dormant other head. Rachel seems to Abbot Zerchi to be an incarnation of innocence, perhaps another Mary, mother of Christ.
Brother Joshua, a former astronaut. He leads a group to colonize another planet, escaping the effects of the holocaust. They take with them the Memorabilia, on microfilm.
Dr. Cors, a Green Star worker. He argues with Dom Zerchi about euthanasia, which the doctor has recommended to a young woman and her baby.