The Sharpest Sight: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Sharpest Sight: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate lives of key figures within a narrative set against the backdrop of Amarga, California, and the rich cultural heritage of the Native American experience. Ramon (Mundo) Morales, a twenty-five-year-old deputy sheriff and Vietnam veteran, grapples with the complexities of loyalty and justice as he seeks to uncover the truth behind the suspected murder of his friend, Attis McCurtain. Attis, a mixed-blood Indian suffering from the traumas of war, is intertwined in a web of familial and societal tensions, particularly with the powerful Nemi family.
Cole McCurtain, Attis's younger brother, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and cultural connection, guided by his wise Uncle Luther, a Choctaw medicine man. Hoey McCurtain, their father, embodies the struggle between traditional values and the harsh realities of their world, while also displaying compassion in his interactions with others affected by violence. Diana Nemi, the troubled daughter of a wealthy rancher, navigates her own challenges, caught between the legacies of her family's actions and her desire for power and agency. The characters intertwine in a narrative that reflects themes of identity, heritage, and the quest for truth amidst chaos, offering a nuanced lens on the impact of history and personal choices.
The Sharpest Sight: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Louis Owens
First published: 1992
Genre: Novel
Locale: California and Mississippi
Plot: Detective and mystery
Time: Late 1960's
Ramon (Mundo) Morales (rah-MOHN MEWN-doh mohRAH-lehs), a twenty-five-year-old deputy sheriff in Amarga, California. This Vietnam veteran and conscientious law enforcer was a friend of Attis McCurtain, a mixed-blood Indian, in high school and during the Vietnam conflict. The Morales' vast ranch, given to them by the Spanish king in the 1700's, has been taken over by Dan Nemi, the richest, most powerful rancher in the valley. When Attis McCurtain, suffering from shell shock after Vietnam, is reported to have escaped from a mental hospital, Mundo is certain that Attis was murdered and that he had seen Attis' body floating in the floodwaters of the Salinas River. Although Mundo is under suspicion from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and local police for perhaps having helped Attis to escape and hide, he is determined to find Attis' killer, whom he suspects to be one of the Nemi family, and to prevent Attis' father, Hoey, from killing Dan Nemi.
Cole McCurtain, a mixed-blood Choctaw-Cherokee-Irish, the son of Hoey McCurtain and the younger brother of Attis. He returns to the cabin in a Mississippi swamp where he and his father were born. He is being sheltered by his Chactaw great-uncle, Luther, in order to avoid being drafted and becoming another Indian sacrificed in a white man's war. At first, he is immature and uncertain of his identity, but through Uncle Luther's teachings and by getting back to his own family's connections with the Mississippi land, Cole comes to know himself as Indian. He returns to California to find Attis' bones and take them back to Uncle Luther's place so that Attis' spirit can continue on its way. In affirming his Indian identity and heritage, Cole discovers his own story and can live it.
Hoey McCurtain, the widowed father of Cole and Attis. He begins to think according to the old ways of his Choctaw childhood in Mississippi. He has taught his sons the Indian skills of trapping, fishing, and hunting. Patient and determined, he waits for a chance to shoot Dan Nemi to avenge Attis' murder. Upon discovering Diana Nemi, hurt and abandoned after being raped by Jessard Deal, Hoey reveals a compassionate nature in carrying out a sweat lodge ceremony to help Diana heal and purify.
Diana Nemi, the wealthy, spoiled, and seductive eighteen-year-old daughter of Dan and Helen Nemi. She also is the sister of Jenna Nemi, whom Attis had stabbed to death; that crime sent him to the mental hospital. Diana is beautiful and troubled. She barters her sexuality to gain power and adulation. She is abducted and raped by Jessard, who suspects her of being Attis' murderer and sees her seductive power as a challenge.
Uncle Luther Cole, a Choctaw medicine man. He lives in a Mississippi swamp in a one-room cabin with only his dogs and his friend Onatima as companions. With the gift of second sight and knowledge of the future, he knows, from the start, how the story ought to turn out. Gentle, wise, and crusty, he teaches Choctaw traditions and beliefs to his nephew Cole. Luther uses his spiritual powers to ward off the black panther—“Soul-eater”—that is stalking Attis' spirit. Using extrasensory perception, Luther inspires Cole to find Attis' body and monitors the progress of the story being played out in California.
The Viejo, the ghost of Mundo's dead grandfather, Antonio Morales. He appears to Mundo, urging him to confront Diana and her seductive wiles directly and on his terms so that Mundo will not become another of Diana's victims. He also appears to Diana to tell her to let go of her pursuit of power through sexuality.
Jessard Deal, who owns and manages the toughest bar in Amarga. Although he is noted for truthfulness and knows poetry by heart, he is insensitive, brutal, destructive, and cynical, caring only for power obtained through physical violence.
Onatima (Old Lady Blue Wood), Luther's friend and lover. Although she is college educated, she has returned to the remote swamp and the Indian way of life. She is the keeper of stories, both indigenous and in Western literary traditions. She loans Luther books and helps him interpret the story he now finds himself involved in through his California relatives.