Karl Loon Character Analysis in Breath

Karl Loon is Loonie’s father. He is a veteran of World War II—although it’s not clear for which side he fought. Karl is separated from Loonie’s mother before Bruce and Loonie ever meet, and the stepmother Loonie has at that time later exits the picture as well. Karl is the proprietor of the town pub, and at one point Loonie spies on him having sex with Margaret Myers, the resident sex worker, in the upstairs room of the pub. Karl hires Bruce and Loonie to chop wood at the pub, allowing them to save up for surfboards. Nevertheless, Karl is implied to be a fierce man who beats his son, and their hostile relationship ultimately precipitates Loonie taking off from home for good, to surf and eventually run drugs around the world. Blaming Sando for his son’s departure, Karl attacks him in the supermarket one day. At this stage of the novel, Bruce begins referring to Karl as Frank, with no explanation. This name change perhaps reflects an effort on Karl’s part to downplay his foreign or specifically German background, if indeed he did fight for the Axis powers in WWII. Growing up with a harsh, violent father seems to have informed Loonie’s antagonistic relationship with the world—in contrast to Bruce’s quiet and solitary upbringing, which led to him developing a reflective, introverted personality.

Karl Loon Character Timeline in Breath

The timeline below shows where the character Karl Loon appears in Breath. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...their breaths for two minutes underwater, clinging to the roots on the riverbed. Loonie’s father Karl finds them there one day, numb from their exploits. He chastises them, but then agrees... (full context)

...From the sound of his groans, they figure out that her partner is Loonie’s father Karl, but Loonie keeps his eyes to the peephole anyway. (full context)

By that summertime, Loonie has quit school. His father Karl forces him to go work in the mill. With Loonie occupied and Eva out of... (full context)

...takes some to Eva. She’s oddly pleased to see him and tells him about how Karl came by, furious about his son’s long absence. She then grows bitter again about her... (full context)

Bruce finds Loonie with a black eye and split lip, immediately deducing that his father Karl had beat him. Loonie gives Bruce props for surfing Old Smoky by himself and then... (full context)