The Eighth Day (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Thornton Wilder
- First Published: 1967
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Family
- Time of Work: 1880-1905
- Setting: Chicago and Coaltown, Illinois; Hoboken, New Jersey; and Chile
- Genres: Long fiction, Family literature
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Parents and children, Murder or homicide, Escapes, Nineteenth century, Midwest, Chicago, Fathers, South America or South Americans
- Locales: Chicago, IL, Chile, Hoboken, NJ
Characters Discussed
John Barrington Ashley, later James Tolland, a mining engineer falsely convicted of murder in Coaltown, Illinois, who escapes to Chile. He is “neither dark nor light, tall nor short, fat nor thin, bright nor dull”; that is, he is a typical Midwesterner. He is a creative tinkerer, a hard worker, and an active humanitarian of great energy of mind and body who deplores sloth and despair. Although he is areligious, he has faith and aids others in their religious pursuits and beliefs. He is the personification of charity, and he embodies the best virtues of...
[The entire page is 1208 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
