Characters

As is the case in many detective novels, Tunnel Vision has myriad characters. After all, what fun would a mystery be without a giant pool of possible suspects? Here are a few brief descriptions:

 

Victoria "V. I." Warshawski: The novel's protagonist. She's a private detective who, despite having a hard-boiled side, manages to maintain her femininity. At the same time, she is a crusader for the rights of women and the poor, constantly working to better their condition. She is literally willing to go through hell (or at least through some hellish flooded tunnels) when she believe she is in the right. Though some, such as her boyfriend Conrad, see this stubbornness as a flaw, the reader eventually comes to see it as a virtue. After all, had Vic given up on the case when nobody believed her, the bad guys would have gotten away with murder--literally.

Though V.I. is tough, Sara Paretsky certainly did not intend for her to be "Philip Marlowe in drag." [1] Rather, V.I. "lives on the edge. She takes cases that aren't necessarily in her best interest but nag at her conscience, because she doesn't like to see clients, especially the disenfranchised, pushed around by those in power." [2] The private eye profession is perfect for her, as, according to Paretsky, "V.I. doesn't worry about what people think about her. She doesn't worry about getting fired." [3]

V.I.'s toughness is evidenced by the fact that, mere days after being assaulted in her own home by a hired goon, she goes to the flooded tunnels underneath her old office building to rescue Tamar and Emily. She is an all-out "femikaze squad." [4]

V.I.'s upbringing is also interesting; we learn that her father was Polish and her mother Italian. Her deceased mother especially serves as an inspiration to "do right," and V.I.'s mixed heritage also plays to the theme of race that runs throughout the book.

Fabian Messenger: Fabian is an ambitious lawyer who is looking to get a judicial appointment. Thus, he gives advice to JAD holdings, a money-laundering fund run by Jasper Heccomb, Donald Blakely, and Alec Gantner, on how to make deals with Iraq in violation of U.S. law. Fabian is also a patrician, abusive character who is quick to anger. V.I. overhears him beating his wife and it is strongly suggested that he sexually assaulted his own daughter, Emily. The above makes him a prime suspect when his wife, Deirdre, is found dead on V.I.'s desk. His abusiveness is important to the themes of feminism and liberalism.

Deirdre Messenger: As her name might suggest to those who know some Irish mythology (or have read the works of J.M. Synge), Deirdre is a sorrowful, tragic character. In what little the reader sees of her before her murder, she is revealed to be weak. Instead of confronting her abusive husband, she tries to drink her problems away. When she finally does take action, leaving a note on V.I.'s computer implicating her husband, she pays the ultimate price.

Emily Messenger: The daughter of Fabian and Deirdre, she runs away from home with her two brothers shortly after V.I. witnesses Fabian's abuse. She lives with them in the tunnels underneath the Loop until she is finally rescued by V.I. During her stay at the hospital, her own father does nothing to defend her against allegations that she murdered her mother. Then, Anton attempts to smother her with a pillow, but V.I. saves her again.

MacKenzie "Ken" Graham: A college-kid who was suspended for computer hacking, Ken is rather enamored of V.I. He follows her around, and eventually helps V.I. break into the office of Jasper's money-laundering-front-masquerading-as-a-non-profit-organization, Home Free. Mostly, his purpose in the novel is comic relief, as he constantly makes a suggestive comment at Vic (who is decades older than him) only to have Vic rebuke him. At one point, he follows Vic in his car, which makes the reader suspect him.

Cyrus Lavalle: Cyrus Lavalle is another character whose purpose is mainly that of comic relief, as Vic and Murray confront him in a gay bar in order to get information. Cyrus is emblematic of the graft and bribery that one associates with Chicago politics, as Vic gives him money for insider information.

Jasper Heccomb: Jasper is the slick leader of Home Free, a supposedly not-for-profit group that builds houses for the homeless. Vic had previously met him (and secretly was attracted to him) during her days as a student. However, underneath his faux-liberal charm, he is real a money-hungry scumbag--he uses Home Free to launder money for Donald Blakely and Alec Gantner.

Donald Blakely: Donald is a banker who is in on the money-laundering scheme of Jasper and Alec.

Alec Gantner: The son of an Illinois senator, he is interested in doing illegal business with Iraq. He hatches his plan with Donald Blakely and Jasper Heccomb, but Vic uncovers this scheme at his agricultural compound, Gant-Ag.

Anton: Anton is a violent Eastern-European thug who acts as an overseer for a group of illegal immigrant workers hired by Jasper Heccomb's company, Home Free. He attempts to smother Emily Messenger in the hospital, which helps V.I. divine that he did, in fact, murder Deirdre under the orders of Blakely, Gantner, and Heccomb.

Conrad Rawlings: Conrad, an African-American cop, is Vic's beau. Like other characters, he is uncomfortable with Vic's stubbornness and risk-taking. So much, in fact, that he is forced to break up with her after he gets shot in the shoulder during the climactic scene at Gant-Ag.

Terry Finchley: "Finch" is a friend of Conrad's on the force. He often refuses to give credence to Vic's ideas and sees her as interfering with official police business.

Tamar Hawkings: Tamar is the homeless woman who shows up in Vic's office building along with her children. She lives in the tunnels underneath the building in order to escape her abusive husband.

Mr. Contreras: Mr. Contreras lives in the same apartment as Vic. The reader knows that this World War II veteran is tough. Even though he is an older gentleman, he constantly wants to be "in the action." He gets his shot at "the action" when Vic asks him to help rescue Emily Messenger from the tunnels.

Tish Coulomb: Tish is Jasper Heccomb's secretary at Home Free. Like Vic once was, she is attracted to Jasper for what seems to be his interest in helping the downtrodden. V.I. eventually gets her to spill the beans with regards to the money-laundering operation.

Gary Charpentier: Gary is a contractor who was hired to build homes for Home Free. A controlling man whom Vic suspects abuses his wife, he is quick to anger and uses illegal aliens to

Max and Lotty Loewenthal: Max and Lotty are old friends of V.I., and they allow V.I. to stay at their place after her's was wrecked by the goons hired to assault her. They reproach V.I. for her stubbornness and her willingness to risk herself (and others) to do what she feels is right; however, their friendship is unconditional.

Murray Ryerson: Murray is a reporter who at one point had a relationship with Vic. Though his relationship with Vic is rather strained, he's willing to do many things for her, especially if doing so will help him get a good scoop.