LaBrava: Analysis of Major Characters
"LaBrava: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate relationships and moral complexities of its characters against the backdrop of crime and deception. The protagonist, Joseph LaBrava, is a former government agent turned photographer who becomes embroiled in a plot involving his friend Maurice Zola and the enigmatic actress Jean Shaw. Joseph's admiration for Jean leads to a brief romance, but he is ultimately confronted with her duplicitous nature, as he discovers her role in a scheme to extort money from Maurice.
Maurice, an elderly former bookie, prides himself on his street smarts but remains oblivious to Jean's true intentions, relying on Joseph to protect him from the unfolding betrayal. Jean, a former film star, blurs the lines between her cinematic roles and reality, contributing to the tension as she manipulates those around her.
Other characters, such as the antagonistic Richard Nobles and the ambitious Cundo Rey, further complicate the narrative, revealing underlying themes of betrayal, ambition, and the struggle for survival. The story captures the interplay of these complex characters, each driven by their desires and flaws, making for a compelling exploration of trust and deception in human relationships.
LaBrava: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Elmore Leonard
First published: 1983
Genre: Novel
Locale: Miami, Florida
Plot: Detective and mystery
Time: The 1980's
Joseph LaBrava, formerly an agent for the Internal Revenue Service and for the Secret Service, now a professional photographer whose work is good enough to remind experts of such great photographers as Alfred Stieglitz and Diane Arbus. He is a friend of Maurice Zola, who introduces him to Jean Shaw, a film heroine of whom Joseph had dreamed while young. Joseph and Jean have a brief affair. Joseph is responsible for foiling a plot by Richard Nobles and Cundo Rey to extort money from Jean, but he comes to the sad realization that Jean actually was the chief instigator of the scheme. She tries to convince him to ignore her part, but he resists until the end, when her promise to marry Maurice causes him to keep secret her criminal activity.
Maurice Zola, an eighty-year-old former bookie who now lives on the income from residence hotels he owns in Miami. He promotes Joseph's career as a photographer and looks after the interests of his longtime friend Jean Shaw. Unjustifiably proud of his street smarts, he is open to the clever scam that seems to be run by Richard Nobles but in fact is directed by Jean. It is Maurice's money the plotters are after. Maurice is shielded by Joseph from knowledge of Jean's role in the crimes.
Jean Shaw, a former actress who lives on money left by her third husband. In films, she always played the part of the woman who plans with her lover to kill or fleece her husband; her dark beauty was always used to portray the tragically weak woman, and she was never the heroine. In retirement, she proves to have trouble distinguishing between her film roles and her existence in the real world. When the extortion plot unravels, Joseph discovers that she and Richard, her lover, were the real plotters. In one of the novel's showdowns, Jean kills Richard. LaBrava shields her from the police, partly because of her promise to marry Maurice and partly because she is genuinely unable to distinguish real life from her film roles.
Richard Nobles, a redneck former police officer who makes a living as a security guard and a thief; he uses his security job to set up burglaries. He is Jean Shaw's lover and eagerly falls in with her plan to extort $600,000 from Maurice Zola, also welcoming the chance for vengeance on Joseph, who humiliated him. He enlists his friend Cundo Rey in the plot, expecting to cut his friend out of the profits.
Franny Kaufman, a young woman with wild hair and a subsistence job selling cosmetics to the old women who live in Zola's building. She is a talented aspiring painter who becomes Joseph's lover and part-time aide in figuring out the plot.
Cundo Rey,aCubanwhowasreleasedfromprisontogoto the United States as part of the Mariel boat lift. He was serving time for murder. He makes his living with con games and burglaries, and he loves his sports car more than any person. He falls in with Richard's scheme but has his own plan to get all the money for himself. Joseph is forced to kill him.