Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down: Analysis of Major Characters
"Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down" is a novel that intricately weaves together the lives of its major characters against a backdrop of myth, power, and the struggle between good and evil. Central to the narrative is the Loop Garoo Kid, a black circus cowboy who embodies a complex figure of both mischief and cosmic significance, likened to Lucifer yet self-identifying as "the cosmic jester." His counterpart, Drag Gibson, is a wealthy rancher symbolizing greed and ruthlessness, whose supernatural attributes reveal his past struggles against hellish forces. The characters navigate themes of betrayal and desire, particularly through Mustache Sal, Drag's wife and former lover of Loop, who finds herself ensnared in a web of power and manipulation.
Further complicating the dynamics is Chief Showcase, a Native American character who bridges the identities of oppressed peoples, working covertly against Drag while also serving as a representation of the indigenous struggle. The narrative also features Field Marshall Theda Doompussy Blackwell and his lover, Pete the Peek, who embody the militaristic and political ambitions of the era, with their plans reflecting an imperialist mindset. The character of Pope Innocent adds a layer of religious commentary, representing the ageless complexities of faith and authority in juxtaposition to Loop's journey. Together, these characters contribute to a rich tapestry of cultural references and moral dilemmas, inviting readers to explore themes of identity, power, and historical critique.
Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ishmael Reed
First published: 1969
Genre: Novel
Locale: Yellow Back Radio (a town in the Old West) and Washington, D.C.
Plot: Satire
Time: 1801–1809
The Loop Garoo Kid, a black circus cowboy, an American Hoo-Doo manifestation of Lucifer. His evil reputation, however, is unwarranted: He identifies himself as “the cosmic jester,” an eternal pleasure principle. A member of the divine family, he is now sought by the Christian God as the only one who can prevent the unhealthy domination of the eternal goddess, who appears variously as his former girlfriend Diane (the Roman goddess Diana) and the Virgin Mary.
Drag Gibson, a wealthy and powerful rancher, Loop Garoo's nemesis. He started with nothing, riding drag (hence his name, though it also implies transvestitism) for other cattlemen, but he amassed a fortune through his cunning and ruthlessness. Drag also is a supernatural character: The explorers Lewis and Clark appear near the middle of the novel and reveal that Drag has escaped from hell. His struggle with Loop Garoo is therefore a form of the eternal struggle between good and evil.
Mustache Sal, Drag's wife, formerly Loop Garoo's girlfriend. Sal marries Drag in answer to a personal ad, motivated by the opportunity to inherit his wealth. She crawls before Loop on the night before her wedding, begging to have sex with him. Instead, Loop brands a hell's bat on her abdomen.
Chief Showcase, an American Indian, Drag's lackey. A cousin of Cochise, Showcase is the last surviving Crow Indian and so is kept by Drag as a literal “Showcase.” Although he plays the defeated primitive or noble savage before Drag, he first appears in a high-tech helicopter, rescuing Loop Garoo from Drag's minions. Chief Showcase is the first to recognize Loop as Lucifer, and he expresses the essential unity of the black and Native American causes and identities. His secret revenge on the white man is tobacco: With feigned civility, he offers a cigar to every enemy he encounters.
Field Marshall Theda Doompussy Blackwell, an army general. He is identified as President Thomas Jefferson's secretary of defense, though no such title existed in Jefferson's time. With Pete the Peek, he develops a plan to conquer the American West and set himself up as emperor. Theda is depicted as a stereotypical Pentagon hawk: He wheedles money from Congress through Pete the Peek and lavishes it on scientists (Harold Rateater and Dr. Coult) who develop new weapons for him.
Pete the Peek, a congressman, Theda's lover. He is called “The Peek” because he is a voyeur. Theda treats him as a stooge, apparently interested only in the federal appropriations Pete brings him.
Pope Innocent, putatively Loop Garoo's rival, to whom Drag appeals for help. Innocent recalls the days before Loop's estrangement from the Judeo-Christian God and pleads for him to return. The novel ends with Loop's reunion with Innocent on his ship bound for Europe. There were no popes named Innocent in the nineteenth century, so this character is one of the many anachronisms in the novel. He represents the ageless church as partner/nemesis of Loop Garoo, rather than a historical individual.