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Eddie Key
The adoptive father of Dwayne Hoover, and the birth father of Lyle and Kyle Hoover. Dwayne’s stepfather and stepmother were initially unable to have children of their own when their adoption of Dwayne “triggered” something inside of them “which made it possible for them to have children after all,” which, Vonnegut claims, “is a common phenomenon.” Dwayne’s stepfather, originally named Hoobler from West Virginia, moved to Midland City during the First War World, and after finding a large community of black people with the last name Hoobler living there, he changes their family name to Hoover to avoid association with people of color. Dwayne’s stepfather is a blatant racist, and he is the personification of racism in American society.
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Dwayne’s Stepfather Character Timeline in Breakfast of Champions
The timeline below shows where the character Dwayne’s Stepfather appears in Breakfast of Champions. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 13
...the story is fake. Dwayne didn’t discover the cave until 1937, and even then, his stepfather had to blow it open with dynamite.
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The Sacred Miracle Cave sits on the property that Dwayne’s step-father came to own when he moved to Midland City. The property, known as Bluebird Farm,...
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Chapter 14
...citizens were named Hoobler, they promptly change their name to Hoover. “It was embarrassing,” Dwayne’s stepfather said. “Everybody up here naturally assumed Hoobler was a Nigger name.”
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Chapter 21
...Dwayne sits alone in the lounge, his thoughts begin to wander. He remembers something his stepfather had told him as a child. During the First World War, scores of black people...
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One night, according to Dwayne’s stepfather, a black family failed to see the signs and attempted to spend the night in...
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