36 pages • 1 hour read
Jeff VanderMeerAnnihilation
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
The Biologist
The biologist is the main protagonist and first-person narrator of the novel. She has qualified for the 12th expedition into Area X by way of her expertise in transitional environments. Her husband was a member of the 11th expedition; he died of cancer six months after his return. The biologist is an acute observer of natural phenomena; she is inquisitive, solitary, independent, and brave. Early in the novel, the spores of a mysterious organism contaminate her. She is the only member of the expedition who is immune to the psychologist’s hypnotic suggestions. The biologist is drawn to the natural habitat of Area X, and at the end of the novel, her decision to stay there rather than rejoin the world of cities reveals her preference for nature—and perhaps that, as a result of having inhaled the spores, she is merging with her natural surroundings.
The Psychologist
The psychologist is the leader of the 12th expedition. She is capable of controlling the other members of the expedition through hypnotic suggestion. After the anthropologist’s body is found in the tunnel, the biologist becomes suspicious of the psychologist’s motives and behavior, yet the biologist comes to realize that she also depends on the psychologist to continue leading the expedition. In addition to being manipulative and controlling, the psychologist shows signs of being witty, vulnerable, and human.
The Surveyor
The surveyor is tough, brusque, pragmatic, and competent. She was formerly in the military and is the only member of the expedition in possession of an assault rifle. Her relationship with the biologist begins to chafe when the biologist seems to show signs of irrationality in the tower, and then their relationship falls apart altogether after the biologist attempts to hypnotize her. In the end, the surveyor shoots the biologist twice before the biologist shoots her back and kills her.
The Anthropologist
One of the four members of the 12th expedition, the anthropologist is killed after an encounter with the Crawler in the tower. It appears that the psychologist coerced her to take a sample of the Crawler; when she got too close, the Crawler attacked, killing the anthropologist and injuring the psychologist.
The Biologist’s Husband
The biologist’s husband was a member of the 11th expedition into Area X. He was gregarious and enjoyed boating. The biologist and her husband had begun fighting before his departure to Area X. One of the sources of conflict involved the biologist’s distance and pension for solitude. For these qualities, the biologist’s husband nicknamed the biologist “the ghost bird.”
The Crawler
The Crawler is the name the biologist gives to a mysterious entity that writes words on the wall of the tower. During her encounter with the Crawler, the entity shifts shapes several times, making it difficult to classify precisely what it is and what its purpose is.
The Lighthouse Keeper
The biologist finds a photo of a man inside the lighthouse with a circle drawn around his face. Later, when she looks back at the Crawler, she finds this man contained within it.
