Java Head: Analysis of Major Characters
"Java Head: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate relationships and conflicts among a cast of diverse characters set against the backdrop of 19th-century New England. The protagonist, Gerrit Ammidon, is a Yankee sea captain characterized by his romantic ideals and critical view of societal hypocrisy. His life is intertwined with that of Taou Yuen, a Manchu noblewoman who embodies the clash between Eastern and Western values and ultimately suffers a tragic fate. The narrative also delves into the complexities of Gerrit's former sweetheart, Nettie Vollar, the illegitimate daughter of a drowned seaman, who becomes embroiled in family tensions and societal judgments.
Other significant figures include Edward Dunsack, Nettie’s drug-addicted uncle, whose resentment and actions catalyze tragedy, and Captain Jeremy Ammidon, Gerrit’s father, whose heart attack reflects the burdens of a morally conflicted business. William Ammidon, Gerrit’s brother, represents the emerging commercialism of the time, demonstrating a pragmatic, if morally dubious, approach to trade. The characters are woven into a rich tapestry that illustrates themes of love, betrayal, cultural dissonance, and the personal consequences of societal norms, inviting readers to reflect on the interplay of individual choices within the constraints of their environments.
Java Head: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Joseph Hergesheimer
First published: 1919
Genre: Novel
Locale: Salem, Massachusetts
Plot: Local color
Time: The 1840's
Gerrit Ammidon, a Yankee sea captain, his father's favorite son; a romantic man with an arresting, blue-eyed gaze. He is critical of the hypocrisy, the pious pretense, and the scandalmongering of his home town. Conscious of having done Nettie an injustice in dropping her because of anger at her grandfather, he confesses his love for her; after Taou Yuen's death, he marries her and takes her with him away from Salem.
Taou Yuen, Gerrit's Chinese bride, a Manchu noblewoman who seems completely out of place in Salem. Gerrit thinks of her as the perfection of aristocratic beauty, charm, and refinement; but she represents the Orient, not America. To save herself from Edward, she commits suicide.
Nettie Vollar, the illegitimate daughter of Kate Dunsack and a seaman who drowned; Gerrit's black-haired, dimpled, pert-nosed former sweetheart and later his wife.
Edward Dunsack, Nettie's weak-willed, drug-addicted uncle, who is resentful of Gerrit's possessing Taou Yuen. Failing to seduce her, he gives her a distorted account of the love affair of Nettie and Gerrit. Drug-crazed, he threatens to strangle Taou Yuen and causes her to commit suicide with opium pills. Edward goes mad.
Captain Jeremy Ammidon, Gerrit's father, senior partner in the firm of Ammidon, Ammidon, and Saltonstone. He dies of a heart attack upon discovering that two of the firm's schooners are transporting opium.
William Ammidon, Gerrit's handsome brother, a money-minded tradesman who disagrees with his father on many trade and shipping matters and who sees no objection to trading in opium if it brings in money. He is sharply critical of Gerrit's marriage. He symbolizes nineteenth century New England commercialism and business ethics.
Rhoda Ammidon, William's cheerful and sensible wife, a large, handsome woman.
Barzil Dunsack, father of Edward and Kate; once a friend but afterward an enemy of Jeremy.
Kate Dunsack Vollar, Nettie's mother.
James Saltonstone, partner of the Ammidons.
Laurel Ammidon, William and Rhoda's young daughter.