Tom

Who is Tom Outland? Initially, the reader is only familiar with Tom through what the other characters in the novel mention. Although he is dead even before the novel begins, it is odd how much the reader feels like he or she already knows about him as a person within the first few pages and even before his “Southwest section” begins.

St. Peter seems to miss and identify with Tom the most. It seems to me that Godfrey thinks of Tom as a son. He repeatedly mentions that Tom was his star pupil and sporadically thinks to Tom during the course of the novel. He seems to be upset that Rosamond and her husband are living off the wealth that was made possible through Tom’s scientific discovery. He does not like how Rosamond flaunts her new-found wealth by buying expensive dresses and furs. He is also noticeable displeased that Rosamond and Louie will name their new house after Outland and how Louie treats Toms as if he was “his affair.” I took this to mean that he acted like the two of them had a personal relationship based on the way he speaks about Tom at the dinner party when instead he had never even seen him.

During the middle passage, the reader learns the most about Tom and his motives. Before, the reader was forced to rely on the opinions of thoughts of the other characters in the novel to obtain a picture of Tom. Through the “Southwest” portion of the novel, Tom is initially portrayed as a Romantic. He worked from a young age and encountered Rodney when he walks him home drunk after he wins at a night of poker. Tom seems to be the more practical of the two, especially when he picks up Rodney’s money that he with such “low regard for its value” dropped. The two begin a close male relationship that takes them to the abandoned Cliff City. The two work to excavate the remains of the village. Rodney sends Toms to Washington, with the money that he had won during that fateful poker game, to attempt to arouse governmental interest in the artifacts. After multiple failed attempts to secure the proper authorities to look at Cliff City, Tom returns defeated. This Washington journey in my opinion made Tom jaded and took away from of his dreamer qualities and made he more of a realist. Upon his return, Tom learns that Rodney sold the artifacts from Cliff City to a German collector at a very cheap price. Tom seems to take his very hard and acts like Rodney had stolen something from him. It was like he had lost a part of himself. After his, Rodney feels that he has betrayed Tom and abandons the friendship. Tom takes this very hard but after a time he journeys north to obtain an education where he encounters the St. Peters.

Tom was an interesting character. He seemed to be a brilliant student and a kindhearted boy. However, he also seemed like he was redeeming himself for pushing Rodney away by going off to fight in the war, which he later died in. It is strange how connected I felt to Tom although I guess technically he was not a main character in the novel.