Dog Soldiers: Analysis of Major Characters
"Dog Soldiers: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate lives of several key figures involved in a dangerous drug smuggling operation set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. The protagonist, John Converse, is a journalist who grapples with his diminished aspirations as he becomes embroiled in a heroin smuggling scheme. His friend Ray Hicks, a self-taught mystic and risk-taker, brings a philosophical perspective to the chaos, as he navigates the consequences of their illicit actions alongside Converse's wife, Marge, who struggles with addiction and conflicting loyalties.
Elmer Bender, Marge’s father and a former activist turned sensationalist tabloid editor, adds a layer of complexity, representing lost ideals amidst the tumult of the era. The story also features Dieter, Hicks's former guru, who embodies a longing for spiritual purity and cautions against the perils of addiction. Lastly, Antheil, a menacing corrupt lawman, serves as an antagonist driven by greed and a ruthless pursuit of the smuggled drugs. Together, these characters reflect the moral ambiguities and personal struggles of individuals caught in a web of crime, addiction, and existential despair in a turbulent historical context.
Dog Soldiers: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Robert Stone
First published: 1974
Genre: Novel
Locale: South Vietnam and California
Plot: Social morality
Time: The early 1970's, approaching the end of the Vietnam War
John Converse, a journalist covering the Vietnam War. Timid and paranoid, Converse once aspired to be a serious writer, but now he squanders his talent by writing for Elmer Bender's sensationalist tabloid Nightbeat. He plots to smuggle three kilograms of pure heroin from Vietnam to the United States with the help of his friend Ray Hicks; however, Converse loses control of the action he starts. When he returns to California, he discovers that both Hicks and Marge have disappeared, taking the smuggled heroin with them. Converse is tortured by two hoodlums who work for the corrupt lawman Antheil, and he is forced to pursue his wife and friend to retrieve the heroin. In the end, Converse abandons the heroin to the brutal lawmen and escapes with Marge.
Ray Hicks, a merchant marine, drug smuggler, and self-taught mystic. A believer in the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche and Zen, Hicks takes risks and is indifferent to the possible consequences of those risks, as when he smuggles the heroin to the United States. When his meeting with Converse's wife, Marge, is interrupted by Antheil's brutal agents, Hicks and Marge flee for their own safety, taking the heroin with them. Later, Hicks attempts to sell the drugs to Eddie Peace, a sleazy Hollywood pusher, but the plan backfires. In a second attempt to get rid of the heroin, Hicks takes Marge to see his old guru, Dieter, who lives near the Mexican border; later, he is shot in a gunfight with Antheil and his henchmen. Hicks dies during his trek through the desert flatlands to rendezvous with Converse and Marge.
Marge, Converse's wife and Bender's daughter, a drug addict. While her husband is in Vietnam, Marge works at a pornographic movie theater to support herself and their daughter. She is addicted to dilaudid. Confused and unsure about her husband's plan to smuggle in the heroin, she reluctantly agrees to take charge of the heroin from Hicks. After she and Hicks flee from Antheil's men and her supply of dilaudid runs out, she becomes addicted to the heroin. Marge eventually finds herself torn between her feelings for Converse and for Hicks.
Elmer Bender, Marge's father, a former Communist, owner and editor of the tabloid Nightbeat. Bender, who served during the Spanish Civil War as a member of the Lincoln Brigade, now publishes sensationalist news stories. Like many of the other characters, he is a man whose former ideals are now lost as a result of the confusion of the times. He sends Marge and Converse's daughter to friends in Canada, fearing for the girl's safety. He becomes angry at Converse for smuggling the heroin into the United States and for endangering the lives of his daughter and granddaughter.
Dieter, Hicks's former guru. Living in an encampment on a mountain near the Mexican border, Dieter laments the end of a former, more idealistic time. A believer in spiritual innocence, Dieter tries to persuade Hicks to give up the heroin and join him in the mountain encampment. He also tries to persuade Marge that her addiction to the heroin will only kill her. Although Dieter consumes hallucinogenic mushrooms, he regards heroin as a filthy drug.
Antheil, a corrupt lawman. As he directs the hunt for the smuggled heroin, Antheil employs sadistic methods to torture Converse. Tracking down the heroin as well as Hicks and Marge becomes an obsession for Antheil, and he will go as far as killing all three to get it.