God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: Or, Pearls Before Swine: Analysis of Major Characters
"God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: Or, Pearls Before Swine" is a satirical novel by Kurt Vonnegut that explores themes of wealth, philanthropy, and the complexities of human nature through its major characters. At the center is Eliot Rosewater, the eccentric president of the Rosewater Foundation, who is portrayed as a wealthy alcoholic and a well-intentioned yet misguided philanthropist. Eliot's unorthodox generosity towards the residents of Rosewater, Indiana, is met with opposition from figures like Norman Mushari, a shyster lawyer intent on proving Eliot insane to gain control of the family's fortune.
Sylvia Du Vrais Zetterling Rosewater, Eliot’s wife, struggles with her husband's ideals and ultimately seeks escape from their life together, contrasting with Eliot’s dreamer persona. Other important characters include Kilgore Trout, a struggling science-fiction writer whom Eliot admires for his unconventional ideas, and Lister Ames Rosewater, Eliot's conservative father, who embodies a capitalist ethos that directly clashes with Eliot's liberal values. Lastly, Fred Rosewater, Eliot's distant cousin, serves as a pawn in Mushari's schemes, illustrating themes of manipulation and ignorance within the narrative. Together, these characters present a critical examination of American societal norms and the tension between wealth and compassion.
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: Or, Pearls Before Swine: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
First published: 1965
Genre: Novel
Locale: Rosewater, Indiana, and Pisquontuit, Rhode Island
Plot: Social satire
Time: 1964–1965
Eliot Rosewater, the forty-six-year-old president of the Rosewater Foundation. Eliot describes himself as “a drunkard, a Utopian dreamer, a tinhorn saint, an aimless fool.” The wealthy alcoholic, who has inherited millions of dollars, distributes money to the denizens of Rosewater, Indiana, as they telephone the Rosewater Foundation to ask for help. Eliot is certifiably insane and bumbles his way through life as the satirical figure of the liberal do-gooder. A member of the volunteer fire department, Eliot foils attempts by crooked lawyers to put an end to his unrequited generosity. He, a sexual eunuch, is accused erroneously of fathering fifty-seven illegitimate children in Rosewater. He absurdly claims them all as his own, thus ensuring the survival of the Rosewater Foundation with its fifty-seven heirs.
Sylvia Du Vrais Zetterling Rosewater, Eliot Rosewater's wife. A Parisienne beauty who comes to hate Eliot, his ways, and his philanthropy, she sincerely tries to live in his world for some time but gives up both on loving Eliot and on living with him. She secures a divorce and goes to a nunnery in Belgium. Her continental manners and demeanor are unadaptable to the American Midwest and to Eliot in particular.
Norman Mushari, a shyster lawyer and the antagonist. Mushari, a graduate of Cornell Law School, seeks to earn millions of dollars for himself by proving Eliot Rosewater insane, at which point he will cash in on his control of Fred Rosewater, Eliot's distant cousin and heir apparent. Mushari surfaces periodically throughout the novel, always working to undermine Eliot. Mushari represents the central strain of greed in the American character. That his advances are finally thwarted by Eliot offers no comfort.
Kilgore Trout, a science-fiction novelist and a stock clerk in a trading stamp redemption center. Eliot admires Trout, calling him the greatest prophet of the time. Although he cannot write well, his ideas reinforce Eliot's own theories about society. Trout is described as a modern-day Christ figure, but beyond the fact that he continues to sacrifice himself for the arts (as manifested in his poorly written, ill-conceived novels), there is no purposeful reason for this appellation.
Lister Ames Rosewater, Eliot's father, a conservative senator who never worked a day in his life. Arrogant, ruthless, and debauched by wealth, Lister stands in opposition to Eliot's liberal character and misdirected social largesse. Lister is horrified that Eliot would help those who do not deserve help because they have not helped themselves, and he fails to recognize his own good luck by birth.
Fred Rosewater, Eliot's distant cousin and heir to the presidency of the Rosewater Foundation. Bumbling, silly, and obtuse, the insurance salesman from the East Coast is no more competent or stable than Eliot, but Mushari can control Fred and thus keeps him as his own pawn. Fred is not aware, for most of the novel, of Mushari's designs for him.