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Quotes
Benjamin/Andrew
Andrew is Mildred’s husband, and Benjamin is Andrew’s fictional alter-ego in Harold Vanner’s novel Bonds. Andrew may appear to be the novel’s protagonist, considering that much of the action of the novel…
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Helen/Mildred
Mildred is Andrew’s wife, while Helen is Mildred’s fictional stand-in in Harold Vanner’s novel-within-the-novel Bonds. Mildred is also arguably the novel’s protagonist. Though the action of the novel centers on Andrew, Mildred’s…
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Ida
In 1938, Ida is the ghostwriter for Andrew’s autobiography. During that time, she and Jack are also dating. By the mid-1980s, Ida is a successful writer who still finds herself thinking about her brief…
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Ida’s Father
Ida’s father is an anarchist who immigrated to the U.S. from Italy. He rarely leaves Brooklyn and frequently regales Jack and Ida with stories of the direct political actions he undertook in Italy, which ultimately…
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Harold Vanner
Harold Vanner is the author of the novel-within-the-novel Bonds. Andrew describes Harold as an acquaintance of Mildred, but Ida finds Harold’s name multiple times in Mildred’s calendar. Harold’s initials also appear in Mildred’s…
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Jack
Jack is Ida’s sometimes boyfriend. When Ida begins working for Andrew, Jack has recently returned to New York from Chicago, where he left college after two years. Jack and Ida have also recently…
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William
William is Louisa’s husband, Andrew’s great-grandfather, Edward’s grandfather, and Clarence’s father. He is responsible for the Bevel family’s vast wealth, as he bought nonperishable goods like cotton during Thomas Jefferson’s 1807…
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Catherine/Adelaide
Adelaide is Mildred’s mother, while Catherine is Adelaide’s fictional alter-ego in Harold Vanner’s novel, Bonds. Catherine is also Leopold’s wife. In Bonds, Catherine and Helen’s family was once prominent but…
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Leopold/Mr. Howland
Leopold/Mr. Howland is Helen/Mildred’s father and Catherine/Adelaide’s husband. In Bonds, Leopold takes it upon himself to educate the precocious Helen, but he becomes increasingly interested in ideas that Helen views as nonsensical…
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Sheldon Lloyd
Sheldon Lloyd is Benjamin’s business partner in the novel-within-the-novel Bonds. Sheldon meets Helen in Europe and begins to informally court her before arranging for Catherine and Helen to travel back to the U.S…
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Solomon/Edward
Edward is Andrew’s father and Clarence’s son, while Solomon is Edward’s fictional stand-in in Harold Vanner’s novel Bonds. Solomon/Edward is also Wilhelmina/Grace’s husband. In Bonds, Solomon owns an estate…
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Wilhelmina/Grace
Grace is Andrew’s mother, while Wilhelmina is her fictional stand-in in Harold Vanner’s novel Bonds. Wilhelmina/Grace is also Salomon/Edward’s wife. Grace dies while Andrew is in high school. Andrew describes her…
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Dr. Frahm
In the novel-within-the-novel Bonds, Dr. Frahm is the head doctor at the Swiss sanatorium where Helen’s father, Leopold, was initially treated and where Helen seeks treatment after she begins experiencing symptoms of…
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Dr. Aftus
In the novel-within-the-novel Bonds, Dr. Aftus is the doctor who Benjamin handpicks to oversee Helen’s care after he loses faith in Dr. Frahm’s methods. Dr. Aftus uses a kind of convulsive therapy—a…
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Minor Characters
Clarence
Clarence is Andrew’s grandfather, William and Louisa’s son, and Edward’s father. He is a precocious mathematician but lacks his father’s social tact, which presents some difficulties when Clarence takes over the family business after William dies.
Thomasina
Thomasina is Clarence’s wife and Andrew’s grandmother. Clarence is described as somewhat reclusive.
Louisa
Louisa is William’s wife, Andrew’s great-grandmother, Edward’s grandmother, and Clarence’s mother.
