The Chain of Chance: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Chain of Chance: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate dynamics and backgrounds of several key figures involved in a mysterious death investigation in Naples. Central to the narrative is John, a seasoned American private detective of French Canadian descent, characterized by his calm demeanor and quick decision-making skills, shaped by his unique experiences as an astronaut and a soldier. The story also features Annabella, a young French girl who, after being saved from a terrorist attack by John, grows from distrust to friendship with him. Dr. Philippe Barth, a French computer scientist, becomes an essential ally for John, providing expert insights that help unravel the complexities of the case.
Additional notable characters include Lapidus, a pharmacologist who posits that the death may be linked to gradual poisoning, and Saussure, a mathematician who highlights the randomness behind the victims' fates through his theories. Mayer, a German statistician, contrasts with Saussure's theoretical approach, while Inspector Pingaud shares valuable knowledge from a previous case that aids in solving the mystery. Together, these characters weave a narrative that combines elements of chance, science, and human interaction, inviting readers to delve into the interconnected fates surrounding the enigmatic deaths.
The Chain of Chance: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Stanisaw Lem
First published: Katar, 1976 (English translation, 1978)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Naples and Rome, Italy; and Paris, France
Plot: Science fiction
Time: The late 1970's
John, the narrator, a laconic fifty-year-old American private detective of French Canadian origin who has been hired to investigate the death of an American named Adams. An unreflective man of action, almost a machine, he seldom becomes nervous or frightened. As an astronaut, he learned how to wait patiently for those moments when quick and decisive action was required, yet he can make quite impulsive decisions, as when he enlisted in the commandos at the age of eighteen and participated in the invasion of Normandy as a glider infantryman. Dismissed from the Mars program because of allergies to grass and dust, he has been hired to investigate the death of a fellow American who was one of twelve victims of the same mysterious cause of death in Naples.
Annabella, a young French girl whom John heroically saves from being killed by a Japanese terrorist's bomb in the Rome airport. Although newspaper accounts of this event describe her as a teenager, she is in fact younger than that. At first, she is apprehensive about John, fearing that he may be part of the terrorist's plot, but she becomes friendly with her protector when he takes her back to her parents.
Dr. Philippe Barth, a distinguished French computer scientist who serves as a consultant to the Sûreté. Because he has been programming a computer to solve problems in which the amount of data exceeds the storage capacity of human memory, John consults him as a last resort to help him unravel the case. Barth introduces John to a number of specialists whose conflicting advice, when taken together, enables him to understand the cause of Adams' death.
Lapidus (LAH-pee-dew), a French pharmacologist. His full-length beard and rather rough appearance make him look as though he has just returned from being marooned on an uninhabited island. He explains to John the scientific reasons for his belief that Adams and the others were the victims of gradual poisoning.
Saussure (soh-SEWR), a French specialist in pure mathematics. Lean and dark, he wears a gold pince-nez that gives him an old-fashioned appearance. Intellectually, he is rather a drifter, and he has recently resigned from a project attempting to calculate the probability of existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. He gives John insight into the “chain of chance” that caused the victims' deaths by showing that they were the result of a random causality.
Mayer, a German statistician. A burly man with curly blond hair, he resembles the cartoon Germans of World War I French propaganda. Because he is an applied mathematician, he serves as a foil to the pure, theoretical mathematics of Saussure.
Inspector Pingaud (pan-GOH), an elderly officer in the Sûreté. He tells John and Barth of a previous case of poisoning by accidental combinations of random elements, leading them to a successful solution of the Adams case.