Alnilam (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: James Dickey
- First Published: 1987
- Type of Plot: Philosophical realism
- Time of Work: January, 1943
- Setting: Peckover and adjoining Latham Field, North Carolina
- Principal Characters: Frank Cahill, Joel Cahill, Boyd McClendon, Colonel Vernon Hoccleve, McClintock McCaig, Stathis Harbelis, Major Bruno Iannone, Hannah Pelham
- Genres: Long fiction, Philosophical realism
- Subjects: Parents and children, Dogs, South or Southerners, Blindness or blind persons, 1940’s, World War II, Fathers, Accidents, Mysteries, Cults, Armed forces, Airplanes or jets, Aviation or aviators, Christ figures or saviors
- Locales: North Carolina
The Novel
Inspired, perhaps, by his own World War II flying experiences for the Army Air Corps, James Dickey’s novel Alnilam is set in the fictional town of Peckover adjoining a military airfield near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The central character, Frank Cahill, officially notified of the accidental flying death of his son, Joel, whom he has never seen, journeys to the airbase to meet the officers and aviation cadets.
Alnilam is not divided into chapters or major parts. All the events center around Frank Cahill, recently blind from diabetes, and his...
[The entire page is 2524 words long]
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