The Enigmatic Reverend Thomas Pemberton

Reverend Thomas Pemberton, affectionately known as Pem, stands as the captivating and intellectually stimulating heart of City of God. His compassionate nature weaves through the tapestry of the narrative, making him an unforgettable figure. A man of wisdom and depth, Pem’s journey is marked by diverse and often challenging experiences, shaping him into the novel’s moral compass. Born to the esteemed Suffragan Bishop of Virginia, Right Reverend John Pemberton, Pem’s formative years included an education at St. Paul’s prep school and Trinity College in Connecticut. His summer in Mississippi was spent in the noble pursuit of registering Negro voters, and he later dedicated a year to the Peace Corps on a Pacific island within the A-test range. It was there that his poignant encounter with a native bride is described, in some of the novel's most exquisite prose.

After completing his degree at Yale, Pem met and wed Trish vanden Meer, a glamorous socialite with Swiss roots. Their union, although blessed with two daughters, Kimberly and Pamela, was marred by Trish’s infidelity, leading to a tumultuous divorce. Pem’s spiritual odyssey takes him from his initial calling as an Episcopal priest to embracing Evolutionary Judaism, enriched by his extensive study of religious philosophy — from St. Augustine to Teilhard de Chardin. His admiration for the controversial Bishop James Pike of California, a fellow challenger of church doctrine, reflects his own lifelong quest for truth. Pem’s role in a church-affiliated hospice, his growing bond with the widowed Rabbi Sarah Blumenthal, and a significant journey to Europe to uncover a Jewish ghetto archive hidden during World War II, all punctuate his path. Though fictional, Pem resonates deeply, lingering in the reader's consciousness long after other characters fade.

Biographical Echoes and Philosophical Reflections

To shed light on Everett’s own history, which intriguingly mirrors aspects of Doctorow’s life, the narrative unfolds with intriguing glimpses into the lives of Everett’s family. His father, Ben, served as a combat infantryman during World War I, while his brother, Ronald, took to the skies as a radioman on a B-17 Flying Fortress in World War II. Among the compelling figures of City of God, alongside the iconic Einstein, stands Ludwig Wittgenstein, the Vienna-born luminary whose philosophical explorations of language and meaning left an indelible mark on logical positivism.

Wittgenstein’s life, predominantly spent at Cambridge University, is encapsulated in his seminal work, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1922). This opus, referenced within City of God, presents a meticulous classification of statements concerning facts, logic, and the nexus between language and meaning. It delves into scientific propositions and the understanding of statements by first recognizing the conditions necessitating their truth. Tautologies, self-referential truths, are explored through mathematical or logical lenses.

Doctorow delves deeply into Wittgenstein's philosophical inquiry, emphasizing the pivotal role language plays in portraying the quest for truth and understanding. Having attended the prestigious Bronx High School of Science and earned honors in philosophy from Kenton College, Doctorow’s narrative is rich with introspection and commentary on contemporary science and cosmology. Yet, it leaves us pondering profound mysteries: the genesis of life and the universe’s origins. Furthermore, City of God brims with cinematic references, blurring the lines between reality and cinematic illusion, echoing Doctorow's enduring contemplation: where does the boundary between authentic life and its reel counterpart lie? This query resonates with Wittgenstein’s sentiment, as aptly quoted by Doctorow: "even if all the possible scientific questions are answered, our problem is still not touched at all."