Virgil Wander

“[F]or a few minutes he’d seemed an intriguing old wizard with his kite and his pipe smoke, a beaten-down angel or holy fool. Now he just looked ancient and beleaguered.”

Virgil captures Rune’s unique personality by comparing him to a wizard, a simile that connotes mystery, wisdom, and magical qualities. The comparison to a “beaten-down angel” or “holy fool” indicates a sense of fallen grace or otherworldly innocence worn down by life’s hardships. The pipe and kite add a layer of whimsy to Rune’s persona, a curious blend of freedom, playfulness, and contemplation.

“Where do you think you’re going, Lazarus?”

Ann alludes to the Biblical story of Lazarus, a man Jesus raised from the dead. Calling Virgil Lazarus characterizes his near-death experience as miraculous and establishes him as a mythical character in town as people marvel over his story. Ironically, Virgil initially doesn’t see his survival as miraculous but instead as burdensome, as he feels he must now do something spectacular with his life. Throughout the story, this burden becomes the foundation for Virgil’s search for identity.

“As though the father’s abrupt disappearance were genetically ordained, like gray eyes or long fingers, Bjorn too began vanishing at chance moments.”

This passage conveys the effect the loss of his father has on Bjorn. Though he never met him, living without a father has impacted the teenager. He begins disappearing to be alone, searching for solitude and purpose. Alec’s disappearance leaves his legacy unresolved, and though Bjorn inherited his father’s looks, he is otherwise unknowable to his son.

“This he stated in a flattened voice like a wall built hastily to conceal ruins.”

This passage uses imagery and metaphor to portray Rune’s emotional state as he relates his and Sophie’s painful experience with infertility. His voice changes, losing emotion and liveliness, as Rune conceals his genuine feelings. The simile comparing his voice to a wall emphasizes this suppression by implying that Rune is striving to hide or protect something damaged or broken within.

“I had the sense of someone trying the door, a quiet insistent presence outside, testing locks and hinges.”

Virgil’s description of Adam evokes a sense of unease and foreboding. The mention of someone trying to open a locked door suggests an invasive and persistent force, implying that Adam is menacing and disrupts boundaries by invading personal spaces. Virgil’s unsettled feelings underscore Adam’s subtle yet relentless, manipulative nature. The tension grows as Adam’s presence threatens to breach Virgil’s emotional defenses.

“It still stands out to me, that morning- that scatter of people, together by accident, as if they’d all been called to the place with no idea why. There was a current of solidarity, expectancy, a knock-wood perception of something bound to happen.”

When the crowd gathers near Rune as he flies his kite, the moment is seared in Virgil’s memory as a representation of how Rune interrupted life in Greenstone in the best way possible. His cheerful, pleasant demeanor and fantastic kites draw people to him and unite disparate personalities, all united in their attraction to his magnetism. This passage highlights the novel’s theme of The Importance of Community.

“Rune had cruised all afternoon on currents of goodwill. The last thing I wanted was to cut his string and see him tumble to earth.”

Virgil compares Rune to one of his kites floating carelessly above the fray. When Virgil flies the kites, he experiences the same weightlessness and ability to disconnect from his worries. He is careful not to burden Rune with sadness as he doesn’t want to corrupt Rune’s childlike innocence and optimistic worldview. The image of cutting the string and forcing a violent fall symbolizes the potential for harm from the loss of innocence.

“It was light gray with a gentle curve and looked like a great old crackly rib plucked from the desert floor.”

Virgil’s staff, a gift from Bjorn, is weathered and bent by forces of nature, which Virgil can relate to. This comparison to a rib adds a sense of something ancient and skeletal that once was part of a living being. Its texture is both fragile and hardy, having endured a harsh environment. The desert floor is a place of desolation, isolation, and survival, and the staff is a relic of endurance and resilience, something that has survived harsh conditions and now serves as a support, something Virgil needs physically and emotionally after his accident.

“No doubt the previous tenant would’ve reached down and found a little Gregory Peck, yet I seemed unable to do so.”

Virgil refers to himself as “the previous tenant” before the accident, conveying his physical and emotional transformation. While speaking to Galen after Shad’s death, Virgil struggles to find the right words to comfort the boy. Virgil wishes for the wisdom of Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a character famous for his fatherly wisdom. Actor Gregory Peck won an Academy Award for Best Actor for embodying the role of Atticus. This passage also speaks to Virgil’s love of old movies.

“[T]wigs snatching in the gale, black filth at the storm drains, the sea hissing in dismay.”

This passage uses vivid imagery and personification to convey the violent and changeable weather Greenstone often experiences. The imagery captures the forceful, violent storm and the foul and unsettling flood that ensues. The personification of the angry sea symbolizes the chaos and turmoil within Greenstone.

“It wasn’t dangerous or new, the hollow—it had been there a long time, so long it was just geography, the weedy depression or crater at the back of the property.”

Virgil compares the emotional vacancy left in his heart by living without a partner for so long to an abandoned property. He insinuates that the feeling of emptiness has been there for so long that he’s gotten used to it but not forgotten about it. Seeing Lucy flirt with Rune reawakens inside Virgil the desire for human companionship. Later, Rune’s sense of urgency and lack of fear in pursuing a relationship with Lucy inspires Virgil to tell Nadine how he feels.

“I’d long thought of her as an unfading Penelope, but that was the lazy eye of infatuation.”

This passage reveals a shift in Virgil’s perception of Nadine. The comparison to Penelope suggests that he once idealized her—likening her to the loyal and enduring wife from Homer’s The Odyssey—in a way that prevented him from understanding the reality of her life. Virgil’s initial crush on Nadine was based on superficial feelings rather than a proper understanding of her character. This shift from infatuation to a more realistic view reveals Virgil has a deeper, more nuanced perception of her now. Yet, this complicates his feelings as he is intimidated by her and doesn’t feel worthy of her love.

“I wished to spool back and watch earlier scenes, to scout for hints and shadows, clues as to what might be required of a secondary actor when the closing reel began.”

Virgil wishes life were more like a movie and that he could revisit past events to gain insight into their meaning. The idea of rewinding a film highlights Virgil’s wish to reassess earlier moments for understanding, a quest for hidden or overlooked details that might clarify his purpose. Virgil is uncertain about his role in this life and its expectations, which directly relates to his journey of Revival and Redemption.

“Why am I still surprised when it turns out there is more to the story?”

This passage encapsulates a timeless truth: There is always more to the story, especially when understanding people and their motivations. Virgil passes judgment on Ann without first hearing her side; once he does, he has more empathy for her. Virgil’s complicated relationship with the Fandeens encapsulates the challenges of small-town life and choosing to accept people even when one doesn’t fully understand their actions.

“Burdens accrue in isolation. Pride, fear, stupidity, lassitude build up like layers of paint. I tried once more to get underneath and peel them all away.”

This passage describes the psychological weight of isolation and its impact on Virgil. The metaphor suggests that solitude exacerbates negative emotions and traits, leading to a buildup of internal struggles. Like thick layers of paint, they accumulate gradually and can obscure one’s true self. Virgil’s attempt to remove them reflects his desire to uncover and address these layers, seeking to return to a more authentic or unburdened state, revealing a new self-awareness.

“[W]e recognized the creaky limb onto which we’d crept, the limb of hearsay and folklore, and distressing but transitory dreams.”

With Virgil following, Nadine approaches Adam’s home to warn him to stay away from Bjorn. Nadine believes her dreams about Bjorn’s death are prophetic and only occur when Adam is in town. Virgil compares this correlation to the danger of crawling onto a scrawny tree limb that is not strong enough to hold the weight. He worries this confrontation will have negative repercussions.

“[T]his little group belonged in a movie itself, the fatigued ragtag ensemble unlikely to win the day.”

Virgil compares the after-party regular attendees to a motley crew of misfits and exiles brought together by their need for community. The passage uses cinematic imagery to describe the group’s situation as dramatic and noteworthy enough to be depicted on screen, emphasizing their compelling story. They are a mismatched ensemble of underdogs unlikely to win alone, but their collective resilience breeds unexpected heroism and hope for success.

“It seemed to me the wind loved Rune Eliassen, and rose from nothing when he asked, and other days calmed its violence to give his kites free passage.”

Personifying the wind gives it a sense of affection and responsiveness toward Rune, as if they have a harmonious relationship. The passage establishes Rune’s deep, spiritual connection to the natural world and subtle power over the elements. The wind appears to accommodate Rune’s desires, further emphasizing his mystical bond with nature.

“All around you the world is flying apart- you know it is, yet you can barely lift your arms.”

Virgil compares the chaos unfolding in Greenstone to the tilt-a-whirl carnival ride. The metaphor captures a sense of overwhelming helplessness and despair as the situation falls into chaos and disintegration, indicating that everything around them is disordered. Despite being acutely aware of this turmoil, Virgil feels a profound paralysis and the crushing burden of circumstances beyond his control.

“A perilous beautiful move, choosing to throw yourself at the future, even if it means one day coming down in the sea.”

Adam carelessly tosses Virgil’s favorite kite into the wind, and it crashes into the water. This moment is a parallel to Alec’s fated flight over Lake Superior, and Adam’s presence at both moments is significant as it hints at his involvement in Alec’s death. Virgil personifies the kite, giving it the humanlike capacity to decide to escape Greenstone.

“Sadness wore him like a tailored suit.”

The figurative language describes Jerry’s diminished physical and emotional state. Sadness fits him perfectly, emphasizing how deeply it has become a part of his identity. Jerry’s sadness is visible and inseparable from who he is, much like a suit always worn. Virgil feels emotionally burdened by Jerry’s sadness, and his alerting the sheriff to the situation will likely save many lives in Greenstone. Virgil’s intervention highlights The Importance of Community.

“A gust of wind hit Galen then and his hair was a storm at sea.”

The imagery evokes a natural, almost primal scene, highlighting the intensity of the moment when Galen slays the sturgeon. Galen’s wild hair encapsulates nature’s unpredictability and raw power, which he respects yet must defeat to defend his father’s honor and memory.

“He’d felt for years that his edges were dull. Like Greenstone itself, he was largely past. An empty room.”

The metaphor describes Jerry’s weariness and lack of purpose, aligning his stagnation with the town’s decline. It suggests that both have seen better days and are now merely remnants of their former selves. Jerry, like the Empress, feels outdated and irrelevant. His feelings of emptiness and isolation lead him to believe he must destroy the town and himself.