Odds Against Tomorrow

Jane is Mitchell’s coworker at FutureWorld. She is a plain-looking woman, but Mitchell is struck by the intimate way she looks at him. She has a philosophy degree from Princeton but is self-conscious about her “pedigree,” which impels her to use coarse language and strive to prove herself. Jane is intelligent and eager for success, and under Mitchell’s mentorship, she becomes skilled at selling fear to clients. However, she never truly believes that a disaster is imminent until Hurricane Tammy hits, at which point she finds that her sales tactics are no help during a real catastrophe.

Mitchell cannot persuade Jane to leave New York City during the hurricane and feels guilt about this throughout the second half of the novel. Jane and Mitchell instead wait out the storm in Mitchell’s apartment and have sex during the climax of the disaster. When they escape in the Psycho Canoe, they have a conversation about what the sex meant, and they both agree it was an isolated instance. However, as they navigate the floods of New York and the chaos of refugee life, they remain intimate, hugging and sleeping in the same bed. They also save one another’s lives—Mitchell with his canoe, and Jane by rescuing Mitchell from the burning cabin at Camp Ticonderoga. Their survival cements their friendship, and Jane and Mitchell continue to look out for each other throughout the novel.

After the storm, Jane is eager for New York to return to its original state. She capitalizes on the disaster, Mitchell’s research being more relevant than ever, and successfully establishes a new business called Future Days. Though she seems calmer and more flexible than Mitchell throughout much of the novel, she ultimately proves more attached to the existing societal order, with its comforts and illusions of stability.

Alec Charnoble is the founder of FutureWorld, who scouts Mitchell through an email. Alec appears eccentric and larger-than life, showering Mitchell with compliments and compensation. However, he shows no empathy toward Mitchell’s feelings and even places his life (and the lives of Jane and Ms. Tewilliger) in danger by requiring that they stay behind and work during the hurricane. Charnoble himself evacuates, revealing his self-interested nature.

Charnoble thus emerges as another coldhearted businessman like Sandy Sherman or Ned Nybuster. FutureWorld, based on a loophole in disaster insurance claims, exploited the fears of executives worried that insurance claims following natural disasters would financially devastate them. It in turn is sued by Ms. Tewilliger for not doing what it could to protect her during Hurricane Tammy. Ironically, Charnoble becomes a victim of his own con because he did not sign his own insurance papers. The suit puts him out of business, creating space for Jane’s new company, Future Days.

Charnoble indirectly helps Mitchell learn what he values. Although Charnoble provides Mitchell with wealth and status, his prioritization of profit above all else fails to satisfy Mitchell’s emotional needs and ultimately jeopardizes his safety.