Real Characters
Main
Characters
Early
Characters
Later
Characters
Minor
Characters
Real People Characters
I guess these aren't truly
"characters". They are basically just people that are mentioned in the novel and
they happen to have realyl existed.
Political Figures
Ronald Reagan-Johnny is always making remarks about how he feels Reagan is
an incompetent President. His best description is "Ronald Reagan is a vapid
young drunk".
Oliver North-Johnny mentions to the girl barber in Toronto
that he wants his hair cut as short as Oliver North's.
Marilyn
Monroe-The instigator of Owen's problems with Mitzy Lish. When Mitzy Lish tells
Owen that Marilyn Monroe is having an affair with JFK, Owen is insulted and
propositions Mitzy Lish which nearly leads to his explusion.
John F.
Kennedy-The President who's inaugural speech prompts Owen to stop making and
selling fake draft cards.
Robert F. Kennedy-Owen remarks that if Robert
Kennedy was next in line for Marilyn Monroe, what else is he next in line for.
Shortly after, Robert Kennedy is assassinated.
General
Westmoreland-Commander of the U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam for a time.
Jimmy Carter-He later pardons all the draft dodgers in the 70's, but
Johnny still does not want to come back to live in the United States.
Lyndon Johnson-President of the United States who initiated Operation
Rolling Thunder which Owen describes as simply bombing Vietnamese targets very
heavily [Owen uses more graphic terms, I'm being polite here, this is a family
website. :)]
Literary Figures
Robert Frost-Owen memorizes
Frost's poem Birches
and frequently quotes it to Johnny when Johnny's faith seems to be lacking. Owen
also encourages Johnny to memorize a few of Frost's shorter poems such as Fire
and Ice.
Robertson Davies-Mentioned in passing.
Thomas
Hardy-The author of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, the book that gave Johnny a lot
of trouble at the Gravesend Academy. He has his students at Bishop Strachen read
it as well, and thinks they didn't read the introduction like he told them to.
This prompts him to consider giving his students a pop quiz on the introduction
which he later decides not to do simply because it makes him feel guilty.
Others
Rev. John Wheelwright-He is the founder of Gravesend,
NH in the novel and the founder of Exeter, NH in real life. This leads to the
belief that Gravesend is based, at least in principle, on the real town of
Exeter where Irving was born.
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