Pompeii: A Novel

“In those moments, he felt himself to be not in a reservoir at all, but in a temple dedicated to the only god worth believing in.”

In the context of a historical novel, Attilius is a decidedly modern character. His belief in engineering as the "only god worth believing in" (22) suggests that he is an atheist in a time in which religion, spirituality, and belief pervaded every aspect of society. Attilius's atheism is anachronistic, juxtaposing him against the more traditional characters and making him stand out even more.

“The principles of engineering were simple, universal, impersonal—in Rome, in Gaul, in Campania—which was what Attilius liked about them.”

Following the death of his wife and child, Attilius cannot bring himself to believe in any god. However, he lacks the intellectual framework to declare himself an atheist. He needs somewhere to direct his new reservoir of religious belief, so he completely invests himself in engineering as an alternative. Attilius's modern approach to religion is to replace gods and miracles with the rules of physics and engineering, providing him with a consequential, understandable belief system which provides genuine good to humanity.

“Sulfur is a terrible omen.”

When Attilius discovers sulfur in the water system, he is told that it is "a terrible omen" (53). Though this declaration is framed in the guise of prophecies and portents, the superstitious people reach the same conclusion as Attilius and his science. The superstitious mistrust of sulfur is an example of mysticism filling in the blanks that science of the Roman era does not yet comprehend; the people understand that sulfur is bad, but not why, so they rely on mysticism to explain the problem. Attilius may think of himself as being above such superstitions, but he reaches the same conclusion, suggesting that he is not so different from the superstitious people.

“We've all grown far too soft in any case.”

Pliny deplores the hedonism and debauchery of the Roman Empire. The empire, in his opinion, was founded by tough men on the frontiers of the known world, who fought and conquered distant lands for the glory of Rome. Pliny was one such military man. Now, he sits in his villa and gorges himself on luxurious foods. His critique of the empire is a veiled critique of himself, as he looks back wistfully on his youth. Pliny is too arrogant to criticize himself, so he simply extends his self-loathing to the entire empire.

“It was a fact of life that there was no crueler master than an ex-slave.”

Ampliatus takes pleasure in revisiting the trauma and violence of his past on others. He is a former slave who was beaten by his master and who watched his master abuse and kill his slaves. This fear and trauma have been internalized by Ampliatus, who perpetuates the misery as an act of course. In the novel, violence is perpetuated in an endless cycle of the abused turning round to abuse others.

“Your slave dines off silver plate, while your honest, freeborn citizen works from dawn till nightfall for a pittance.”

The workmen in Attilius's crew are not wealthy people. They are, however, free men. Despite this, they have nothing resembling class solidarity with the slaves they work beside. They dislike the slaves and repeat absurd claims about the privileges and benefits enjoyed by the slaves, rather than turning their antipathy toward the actual wealthy ruling class. The workmen and the slaves have more in common than the workmen and the aristocrats, yet the workmen direct their ire at the slaves rather than at the people who actually hold power over them.

“Why one human being should inherit such a palace, and another be torn apart by eels, and a third break his back in the stifling darkness rowing a Liburnian—a man could go mad trying to reason why the world was so arranged.”

Attilius's decidedly modern sensibilities again distinguish him from the other characters. While most people accept the stratified nature of the society they inhabit, Attilius is driven "mad" (92) by the unfairness and inequality he witnesses around him. This modern perspective is anachronistic, particularly for an educated, wealthy, middle-class Roman citizen from a family of engineers. Attilius's trauma is such that his sensibilities have been propelled 2,000 years into the future.

“The engineer had almost as little time for politicians as he had for the gods.”

Attilius rejects the organizing principles of his society. He is not in thrall to religion or gods, nor does he believe that he should respect politicians. Attilius is not incorrect; every politician he meets is detached from the rest of society and most are corrupt. However, his willingness to distinguish himself from the society makes him unique. No other character rejects the central tenets of society—politics and religion—in such a manner. 

“And to make his point he opened the tap wider and left it running.”

The wealth and privilege of the ruling class of Roman cities is demonstrated by their relation to water. While the poor riot in the streets when they are not able to take water from the public fountain, the rich are willing to waste water on lavish fancies such as fisheries or simply wasting water to prove a point. This water is not free; the men should pay taxes on their consumption. The taxes, the water, and the money mean nothing to them, as they would rather demonstrate their privilege and remind other people that they are not beholden to the rules that govern the lives of everyone else.

“Baths were not a luxury. Baths were the foundation of civilization. Baths were what raised even the meanest citizen of Rome above the level of the wealthiest hairy-assed barbarian.”

Water is not only needed for drinking: In Roman culture, water is a cornerstone of identity. Roman citizens such as Pliny differentiate themselves from non-Romans through the belief in the uniqueness of public bathing. Roman identity is tied to water through the public baths; to not have and to not use the baths would make these towns not Roman. Regardless of whether Romans actually bathe more or less than non-Romans, they consider the baths to be an important part of their culture and something which distinguishes them from the "hairy-assed barbarian" (133) tribes outside of Rome. Attilius's quest to save the water is not just a practical necessity, but a quest to preserve Roman identity.

“Here's a piece of advice for you, my friend: there's no safer investment than property in Pompeii.”

Ampliatus tries to give advice to Attilius, but his advice is both a confession and an act of hubris. After the earthquake, Ampliatus did not invest in property. He bribed and lied his way into ownership, committing crimes which have benefited him financially ever since. Likewise, the city is on the cusp of being destroyed forever. Ampliatus's arrogance makes him think that he is immune to the consequences of his actions. His hubristic attitude will be revealed as soon as Vesuvius explodes, after which there will no longer be any property in Pompeii.

“He looked across at his former slave, presiding at the head of the table.”

Popidius is a wealthy member of the ruling class. He loathes Ampliatus because Ampliatus mocks Popidius's social standing. As the former slave of Popidius, Ampliatus reminds Popidius of the fragility of his social position. Popidius is forced to confront the reality that wealth and status does not make him an inherently better person; Ampliatus was a slave who became the most powerful person in Pompeii, while Popidius would prefer to associate wealth and power with an innate quality. Through his mere existence, Ampliatus reminds Popidius that he is not the intelligent and moral member of the ruling class he believes himself to be.

“To train so hard, to build and work, to pour so much skill and ingenuity into the aqueducts—and all to carry water to such brutes as these, and Africanus.”

Attilius has abandoned religion and politics to invest all his belief in engineering. As a result, he views the abuse of the aqueducts as a sacrilegious act. To abuse the aqueduct is, to Attilius, to blaspheme. Attilius is so invested in engineering as an alternative to religion and politics that he treats it in the same way. The aqueducts are no longer infrastructure or tools. They have become monuments and temples to the religion of engineering, of which Attilius is the only adherent.

“They would have thought he was massive, slow, clumsy. But he was as agile as a cat.”

Attilius thinks about Brebix, the former gladiator, and reflects on the ways in which people might underestimate him because of his size. People who underestimated Brebix would pay with their life in the gladiatorial arena. The underestimation of Brebix is a metaphor for the people's attitude toward Mount Vesuvius. They view the volcano as distant, massive, and dormant. In truth, the mountain—like Brebix —contains a hidden power that can be unleashed with deadly consequences.

“They were working as a team now, like a single body: the Roman way again.”

Roman identity is a fragile construct which even the alienated Attilius values. When he sees the crew working as a team, he is proud of them for adhering to "the Roman way" (201). Attilius defines the Roman way as a group of individuals working together as a single unit. But his judgement is fraught with errors. Many of the Romans he encounters do not work as a team. Men like Ampliatus, Popidius, Corax, and others are self-interested and individualistic but no less Roman. Roman identity is an aspirational idea which often contrasts with the reality of Roman life.

“He relished the fact that power, real power, should be kept hidden.”

Ampliatus is a hubristic figure. His internal monologue values the idea of hidden power as he believes that his own hidden power is what will make him a very rich man. Rather, the hidden power of the volcano will not only destroy all his investments, but it will kill Ampliatus and most of his family. The irony of Ampliatus's worldview is that he values hidden power and is then undone by the most powerful force that has remained hidden in plain sight for many centuries. The power of the volcano, like the power of Ampliatus, is not hidden at all.

“The laws of society were as inflexible as the laws of engineering.”

In the wake of his family tragedy, Attilius invested himself in the laws of engineering with an almost religious fervor. The same immutable nature of the laws of engineering that once gave him comfort in a chaotic world is now the source of his worry. The laws of physics and engineering are also at work in the volcano, creating the existential threat which will destroy Pompeii. Over the course of the novel, Attilius is forced to deal with the fact that the same laws of engineering which once gave him comfort cannot always be relied upon.

“She saw a city famed throughout the world. Our temples, our amphitheater, our streets—thronging with people of every tongue.”

The prophecy is misinterpreted by Ampliatus. He sees in the prophecy what he wants to believe, choosing to interpret the prophecy as an indication of the future success of Pompeii as a city. The reality is that Pompeii will be buried under ash and stone, only to be turned into a tourist hotspot many centuries in the future. The prophecy is accurate but, more importantly for the modern audience, it is an opportunity to illustrate Ampliatus's hubristic desire to see only the best future for himself.

“These great works are all that will be left of us.”

Attilius is not a romantic man. Unlike Pliny and the philosophers, he has no interest in books or any kind of literary legacy beyond their sheer functionality. Instead, the great works which will become his legacy are physical actions and feats. The repairing of the aqueduct and the saving of Corelia are more important to Attilius because he can understand their immediate value. 

“It floats on the surface of the sea like lumps of ice. Do you see? Extraordinary!”

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius is an apocalyptic event for the people in the Bay of Naples. Many people will die, including Pliny the Elder. Despite the seriousness of this event, Pliny cannot help his childlike wonder at seeing the unusual natural events. He has a sincere appreciation of the natural world, as shown by his inability to be anything other than amazed, even as the world around him is on the precipice of Armageddon.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius is an apocalyptic event for the people in the Bay of Naples. Many people will die, including Pliny the Elder. Despite the seriousness of this event, Pliny cannot help his childlike wonder at seeing the unusual natural events. He has a sincere appreciation of the natural world, as shown by his inability to be anything other than amazed, even as the world around him is on the precipice of Armageddon.

The characters in Pompeii are forced to reckon with the fragile nature of mortality. Even though they were important people in their day, men like Ampliatus and Popidius will have little impact on history. They will not leave "so much as a footprint behind them" (318). Attilius understands this and chooses to live in the moment, valuing his actions in the context of their immediate benefit rather than how they may alter his public perception or historic legacy. He finds meaning in life by saving Corelia, not so that history will remember him, but so that he can do something which he believes is right.

“But the mountain had changed the laws of time and space and for a long while Attilius seemed to make no progress at all.”

Attilius has invested much faith in the laws of engineering. When he rides up the mountain, however, these rules of physics become stretched. The foundation of his life is shaken by the presence of Vesuvius, demonstrating the power of the mountain: even the parts of existence which Attilius once took to be unchangeable and fixed are now warped and unreliable.

“Through the dust he had a vague impression of low walls on either side of him, and as he stumbled forward he realized that these weren't fences but buildings, buried buildings, and that he was laboring along a street at roof level.”

Attilius returns to Pompeii and finds the city in a moment of transformation. This is the prophecy being fulfilled, as the city is turned into the tourist and archeological site that it will one day become. Ironically, this act of mass destruction becomes a tool of preservation, and the Pompeii of the past will survive into the future through its extinction.