In the Distance

Linus Söderström is the protagonist’s loyal, protective, and imaginative elder brother. During Håkan’s difficult childhood in Sweden, Linus is his sole source of consistent care and companionship. Both the oldest and the youngest Söderström boys perish of disease, leaving only Linus and Håkan alive. Linus protects his surviving brother by keeping him fed and warm and by taking “the blame and the blows for any of his brother’s small misdoings” (11). In addition, he uses his imagination to distract Håkan from their dire circumstances. Indeed, it is Linus’s “boastful stories, full of heroic deeds and displays of courage” that give Håkan his initial ideas of America (136). Linus Söderström is a protective brother, a loyal friend, and an imaginative storyteller, and his admirable traits help the reader understand why Håkan is so determined to find him.

As the source of the protagonist’s primary motivation, Linus has great significance for the story’s plot, themes, and character development. Linus’s narrative function relies on his absence. He gives rise to the novel’s plot by inspiring the protagonist to take on the heroic quest of crossing a continent. He also plays an important role in the story’s themes because Håkan’s search for belonging is synonymous with his search for Linus. The brothers never reunite, so Linus is static in that the reader doesn’t know what becomes of him. However, Linus attains a certain dynamism through Håkan’s changing vision of his older brother. The protagonist’s evolving idea of Linus helps the reader understand how Håkan’s estimation of himself and the world around him change over the course of the novel. When Håkan is held captive in Clangston, he envisions Linus as a hypercompetent protector “prospering in undefined yet extravagant ways” (40). After Håkan gains freedom and self-efficacy from his time with Lorimer, he feels for the first time that Linus is the one in need of rescuing. When Håkan learns what it’s like to commit violent deeds like the ones in his brother’s adventure stories, Linus’s image is tarnished. In Chapter 18, Håkan’s realization that Asa is now the person who signifies home and safety to him is accompanied by the revelation that the “Linus he had loved and lost was a child [...] young and innocent” (193). In the final step of his transformation in Håkan’s mind, Linus goes from a source of hope and a reason to traverse the vast wilderness to someone who is irretrievably lost. Linus is present in only a single chapter, but his importance to Håkan makes him a key figure in the novel’s plot, themes, and characterization. 

James Brennan is a kind immigrant who becomes twisted into a greedy, wrathful, distrustful shadow of his former self. He and his wife, Eileen, nurse the ill and lonely Håkan back to health during the voyage from Portsmouth to San Francisco “as if he were one of their own children” (14). The Irish miner comes to America in the hope of striking gold, but he soon becomes bitter due to the exorbitant prices of goods in California and the difficult terrain. When Håkan is injured and loses control of the wheelbarrow containing most of the Brennans’ belongings, James unleashes his fury on the teenager, “rush[ing] over to Håkan, and […] kicking him in the gut, yelling—a wordless scream, a deep howl” (20). Soon after this incident, Brennan finds gold, but the discovery only accelerates the deterioration of his moral character. The suspicious man conceals the location of his trove from his own family, and he attempts to resist the purchase of his mine even when his wife and children are threatened.

Diaz uses the dynamic character of James Brennan to illustrate the theme of The Wilderness as a Source of Transformation and Growth. The novel takes place during the Gold Rush, and Brennan is so consumed by his greed for the precious metal that he leaves his wife and children exposed to the elements for weeks while he digs in the mine: “Eileen and the children […] were shredded, swollen, pustulated creatures. Not just their clothes, but their very skin was ragged, and it hung off their flesh like worn gauze” (27). Brennan’s own physical form deteriorates as well—a reflection of his moral decay: “He became a demented skeleton, hammering away day and night, pausing only to sneak into the dark to hide his daily findings” (27). Of the many avaricious characters in the novel, James Brennan most clearly illustrates the poisonous nature of greed that brings about the decline of a once kind and upright man. 

The corrupt, possessive, and grieving amber-haired woman is one of the novel’s antagonists. Her vast wealth allows her to control Clangston and the surrounding region. Under her instruction, the tidy man threatens James Brennan’s wife and children and forcibly purchases his mine with a bag “brimful with paper money” (29). At first, she appears attractive with a tall figure and “waves of thick amber” hair (24). However, her “black, gleaming, toothless gums, streaked with bulging veins of pus” signal her inner corruption (37). The unnamed woman is cruelly possessive, as evidenced by her imprisonment and abuse of Håkan for a year. The novel subtly ties her disturbing actions to a deeply rooted grief. Diaz provides clues, such as the black veil she wears during the attack on Caleb’s village, suggesting that she is a widow who uses men like Caleb and Håkan so that she can pretend that her husband is still with her. The woman’s lustful possessiveness is rivaled only by her capacity for vengeance, which she demonstrates by tracking down and murdering Caleb for leaving her: “Then, out of nowhere, she produced a small ornate pocket pistol” and “shot him between the eyes” (45). Eventually, her vengeful nature leads indirectly to Håkan’s escape. She abandons the tidy man to an angry mob because she blames him for Caleb’s death, and he frees Håkan to repay his former employer for her treachery. The woman is defined by her grief, corruption, and desire for control.

The amber-haired woman drives the action of the plot by separating Håkan from the Brennans, his first companions in America. The woman also increases the story’s suspense because her name and backstory are a mystery. Her imprisonment of Håkan highlights Håkan’s Isolation and creates narrative tension around how he’ll regain his freedom. During his year in captivity, Håkan longs for his brother, spending “his days staring out at the desert, hoping Linus [will] feel his gaze through the osseous void” (38). Despite the abuse he experiences during his time with the woman, Håkan never retaliates with violence. This testament to his gentle character stands in stark opposition to the violent reputation he later acquires.

The compassionate, ardent, and enlightened John Lorimer is one of the novel’s most important supporting characters. In Chapter 6, the narrator notes that the scientist has a “rich reddish beard” and gray eyes that are “curious without being intrusive, compassionate without being condescending” (56). The Scottish naturalist uses his extensive medical knowledge to save lives, including those of Håkan and the Indigenous villagers. Lorimer’s convictions fill him with passion. The effusive speeches in which he articulates his scientific theories contrast markedly with Håkan’s sparse dialogue. This contrast helps to develop the protagonist’s characterization and adds texture and variety to the narration. Lorimer demonstrates his passionate determination by deciding to return to the salt flats and search for evidence of his theories even though he nearly died in the barren wastes of Saladillo. He explains his rationale to his Swedish friend: “The rest of us are only increasingly distorted reproductions of that foundational organism. You understand what such discovery would mean. How can I refuse?” (92). Lorimer’s discoveries hold spiritual as well as scientific significance for him. His understanding of evolution gives him a mystical insight into and reverence for the unity of all life: “The hare, like a blade of grass or a piece of coal, is not simply a small fraction of the whole but contains the whole within itself. This makes us all one” (61). Lorimer’s passionate pursuit of science brings him enlightenment and fills him with compassion for his fellow creatures.

Lorimer serves as a rescuer, friend, and mentor to the protagonist. He advances the novel’s plot by saving the protagonist’s life when Håkan is dying alone in the desert. In addition, he plays a significant role in Håkan’s search for belonging by giving him much-needed companionship. Lorimer significantly bolsters his friend’s confidence by imparting medical knowledge and giving him opportunities to apply it. He also develops the theme of The Wilderness as a Source of Transformation and Growth by changing how Håkan sees the world and his own place in it. Lorimer teaches Håkan that humanity is involved in a process of transformation unfolding over the course of millennia, and he theorizes that Håkan’s extraordinary physical growth is part of the evolution of the human species. Håkan’s first impression of the naturalist highlights the wilderness’s ability to foster positive change: “Here was a man who had been improved by the plains” (56). When Lorimer nearly perishes after the brine pits wreak havoc on his health, he observes that even those familiar with nature may undergo disastrous changes in the wilderness. Lorimer advances the novel’s plot and themes while inviting the protagonist and the reader into a deeper understanding of and respect for nature. 

Helen, a caring, understanding woman, is the protagonist’s first love. Seeing her ministrations to her injured brother, Håkan falls in love with her at first sight: “The girl was tenderly absorbed in trying to make her brother comfortable. Håkan thought that he would give his own arm to have her wipe his brow, arrange his pillow, and kiss his lips” (123). Håkan’s careful observation of her appearance makes it clear how smitten he is with her: “Depending on the day, her hair could be copper or gold, and with her hair, her eyes changed from green to gray. Her freckles multiplied, vanished, reemerged, and moved around like constellations from one visit to the next” (127). The young woman is deeply grateful to Håkan for improving her brother’s chances of survival after the accident that takes his arm. She expresses her appreciation by offering him food when he checks on his patient. Like Håkan, Helen is bashful and gentle. Because they are kindred spirits, she is able to perceive his emotions and character: “She seem[s] to understand that he [is] too shy or afraid to engage in conversation and that any form of encouragement [will] make him withdraw further” (127). Helen demonstrates her genuine affection for Håkan by being one of the few people in America who try to learn his real name. Helen’s caring, perceptive personality wins Håkan’s heart.

As one of the protagonist’s love interests, Helen plays an important role in Håkan’s journey. She gives the protagonist some of the rare moments of tenderness in his life. Years later, he still cherishes the memory of how “[s]he had once touched his hand” (167). In addition to briefly giving Håkan a sense of belonging, she inadvertently contributes to the theme of Myths of the West when her death triggers the violent vengeance that Håkan takes on the raiders of the wagon train. Helen’s death at the hands of the Soldiers of Jehu is a major turning point for the novel, and Håkan’s grief and rage turn him into a legend. For the rest of the story, Håkan contends with the fallout of the raid on the wagon train. A distorted account of the raid spreads and leads to Håkan being arrested, pursued by bounty hunters, and saddled with an infamous reputation that seems to precede him wherever he goes. On top of these physical dangers, the psychological ramifications from the traumatic event cause Håkan to isolate himself from other people: “The shame of being, for almost everyone, a murderer, a murderer of women—Helen’s murderer—was enough to make him want to shun the society of men forever” (194). Although Helen appears only in two chapters, she plays a pivotal role in the protagonist’s characterization, the novel’s plot, and each of the major themes.