In The Place Of Last Things
By: Michael Helm
Blog By: Corey Trinetti
Russ Littlebury
“Except there are times, he admitted, when even the most disparate of thoughts want to cohere. At the moment, Russ understood it was the scotch that brought it together for him. Three fingers, his usual order and the right hand of his father, a man who after his conversion drank nothing but tea and cold water. Mike had lost one finger to a band saw, the other to the cold in carrying his son from a car wreck and the one look taken to know his wife was dead. It was the scotch and the full vulnerability of a tired mind that wanted to give itself up in prayer, if only there were something to pray to. Deliver us from evil, distance us from bad luck, and grant us thine kind iron will. Now the scotch was gone and he began to feel it as he set the glass on the night table, and he saw the ways in which he was his father’s right hand, a real dropping off. And deliver us from the one look, the vision defied and endured to the end through quiet righteousness and deeds when possible committed anonymously and offered for the sake of others and the glory of God. He felt it now, dropping off, as if the man himself was there in the room with him, a good man declared all around, the best and the last, and Russ dropping further stared into the dark and knew he was alone, after all, alone with an absence almost infinite, like a guiding constellation lost to some final dawn growing on a cold world.” (Page 92)
This paragraph demonstrates Russ’ feelings for his father, as well as Russ’ argument with God. With the help of some Scotch, Russ relives the saddest memories and experiences he had of his father. He remembers the time when Mike lost one of his fingers “carrying his son from a car wreck”, only to turn around and see his dead wife still in the car. Russ reveals how much he cared for his father and how much his father meant to him. Closer to the end of this quotation, Russ moves into an argument with God where he demands that God protects him from evil and bad luck. Russ can’t understand why God would have decided that his father should die. This passage also reveals that Russ is really not in control of himself, especially at this moment when he is extremely intoxicated. Russ is clearly not thinking straight and he is so physically and mentally exhausted that he falls asleep.
Jack Marks
“What if he’s got another girl…He said he knew all about girls’ hearts. He said a man’s heart just wants a girl, but a girl’s heart there’s no telling. A girl’s heart needs what it needs.” (Page 201)
This quote does not reveal precisely what Marks is all about, but leads the reader into ideas of what type of person he may or may not be. This quote reveals that Marks may have never really been interested in Lea, he may have been seducing her the whole time in order to get whatever he wanted from her. Marks may have just seen Lea as another opportunity, and may have exploited her for sex or something else. As well, this quote reveals that Marks may be full of himself, stating supposed facts in his quote such as “a man’s heart just wants a girl”. Marks may have heard this quote elsewhere, and pretended it was his own, in order to impress people with his knowledge and wisdom. Marks may actually be quite insecure with himself and may have only tricked Lea into liking him through religion and spirituality.
Tara Harding
“You’ll be gone in a couple of weeks. I don’t want us at some airport gate in the very hour you find out you’re not coming back, trying to work everything out.” (Page 104)
This quotation reveals Tara’s caring nature for Russ. She shows how she still wants to be with Russ but she wants to know what compromises may need to be made, ahead of time, so that she is not left to make an impulsive decision. This quote is also a good example of Tara’s foresight because she knows that there is a possibility that Russ will leave to return home and she wants to make sure she is not caught off guard by his decision. If taken metaphorically, this quote reveals how Tara wants to avoid any problems in their relationship by working them out ahead of time, before they get to the point of no return.
Lea Bollins
“CNN said almost four hundred dead in a ferry-boat accident in India – she seemed to read a lot into what happened next… thinking not of four hundred people but of a single soul in all its beauty released, and then four hundred releasing, and then a car pulled into the driveway beside her father’s and the three who stepped out were like a consequence of her thought.” (Page 47)
This quotation reveals Lea’s deep spiritual belief in many things. Lea takes a CNN news report and drifts off into a world of her own, depicting the “beauty released” from a soul. She goes on to imagine the beauty of 400 souls being released. This shows how integrated Lea is in the spiritual world, which she will demonstrate, many more times throughout the novel. Lea believes that because she is thinking of the beauty of death so much, and that she is interacting with the spiritual world, her “consequence” is to meet three living people, who have just arrived at her house. This quote is the first time that we meet Lea and we are also given the impression that she may be a little bit out sorts and not quite as down-to-earth as expected.
Mike Littlebury
“Russ had never known his father to fear anything, and the comment returned now as he sat over him. He understood that Mike didn’t fear death, or even hell, having known them. He feared only judgment, and had lived his last decades against that moment to come.”
This quote reveals that Mike is a very realistic and humble man. Mike knows that death is going to happen somewhere down the road and he has accepted the fact that he can’t do anything to change that. Mike shows that he is very accepting of whatever is brought his way, be it struggle or triumph, because he knows that he can overcome and work out any problems presented to him. Mike is also the type of person who would like to be given the chance to be accepted and that is why the only thing he fears is the judgment of people and God. Mike is someone for whom the only thing he wants is not to be pre-judged.
