A Census of
Carpenter's Gothic
compiled and designed by Anja Zeidler

. . . she picked up the bird book for refuge in godwits and curlews, sandpipers, snipe, the repose they conjured . . . (CG  p.62)

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. black-tailed godwit (1, 24, 62, 164)
2. carrion crow "the carrion crow raising scarcely a flutter”
(122, see 116, 170)
3. willet
( 65)
4. jay("she looked up for the cry of a jay,”
(36)
5. & 6. godwits
( 62)
7. rock dove
(1, 24, 164)
8. great snipe
(CG 62)
9. long toed plover "leafing past plovers,”
(65)
10. jack snipe
(62)
11. carrion crow
(122)
12. white dove
(1, 24, 164)
13. red breasted merganser "the ragged crest and the squat self importance of the red breasted merganser,”
(30), "he [Ude] looked like that picture of a [merganser]," (52)
14. praying manta "praying mantises […] they were so precise,"
(161)
15. fantastic bird from Bosch’s "Garden of Earthly Delights"
16. & 17. wood-sandpiper
(62)
18. snipe
(62)
19. merganser
(6, 30, 37, 52)

Numbers in [] indicate that the person is spoken about
Numbers in () indicate that the person is on the phone
No brackets are for characters, who appear in person: only a few do
Elizabeth Booth
Paul Booth
Billy Vorakers
Mr. McCandless
Lester
Boys
Madame Socrate
Old man with broom
Grocery man
Mrs. McCandless
Edie Grimes

Character

Description and appearance in the novel

First mention

Adolph

Executor of the Vorakers estate trust, in which what is left of Elizabeth's money is tied up (5), sells Longview, eventually working for Paul (258) ([2-8], [17], [20-21], [34], [35], [40], [46], [71], [73], [86], [113], [170], [173-174], [197], [241], (258-259))

[2]

Afrikaner

“husband” of “slut who worked the New Stanley” (133), is thought to have shot Klinger ([133])

[133]

agent

Real estate agent through whom the Booths rented McCandless' house (125) [23], [28], [60], [65], [125], [133]

[23]

Arnold

Former friend of Elizabeth ([89])

(89)

Bag lady

Sister of the homeless, “that bum that drowned” (207), wants to sue Ude for negligence, manslaughter [207]

[207]

Biff

“this old locker room guy” from school days, helps Billy out ([177])

[177]

Booth, Elizabeth

Paul's wife, called Bibb(s) by her brother, Liz by her husband, “daughter of late mineral tycoon F R Vorakers” (255), survived airplane crash four years before the novel's start (153), asthmatic, red-haired, “the redhead” (124), 33 years old (37), high blood pressure (208) (2-11, 12-24, 25-57, 58-95, 96-122, [124], [125], [131], [133], [146], [147], 151-177, 178-183, 186-217, 218-253, [255], [256])

(2)

Booth, Paul

Elizabeth's husband, heavy drinker, adopted, military school (“southern officer,” 8), injured (8, 45), “a kind of a consultant” (8), “the bagman” (8, 190), “a media consultant,” (45), promoting campaign of “Christian Recovery for America's People” on behalf of Ude, plans to turn Longview into a media center (46, 86), “official spokesman” (78), “he's crazy” (88), “this inferior person” (90), “fucking Paul” (175), “this big wounded hero” (91), has been "fragged" by his crew chief (240), fired from the VCR company (175), gets mugged (200), he “knows as much about finance as some snot nosed sixth grader” (Slotko, 209), "Paul the jew who didn't even know it" (241), "the big Lightning Division hero" (225), "a killer without a war to go to" (225), kills his mugger (247), tells Elizabeth he is going to be arrested for bribery (231, 233), "nobody likes Paul no" (236) ([3], [5-8], 9-24, [33], [34], 38-57, [61], 68-88, [90-92], 96-115, [119], [120], [169], [170], [174], [175], [178-179], [186], [190], 199-217, [223-224], [225], [229], (231-232), [233-234], [236], [238-242], [244], [246], 254-262)

[3] (9)

Mr. Booth

Paul's father, telling Paul “he wasn't good enough to be an enlisted man,” later Elizabeth tells Billy that Paul was adopted (193) ([91], [193])

[91]

boy

Paul's son from a native mistress he left behind in Vietnam ([260])

[?]

boys

Playing with dead pidgeon at the beginning of the novel (1, 35, 64, 217, 428, 262)

(1)

Brian

Friend of Irene, who triggered McCandless' jealousy, wants to go to Yucatán to live with the Indians, “just a damned kid […] stringy beard and sandals” (160) ((94), (160))

(94)

Burmese

One of Edie's lovers, went off with all her traveller checks ([33], [41], [98])

[33]

Chick

Paul's RTO (radiotelephone operator), “old peckerhead” (213), rescues Paul when he got "fragged" by his crew chief in Vietnam (213, 240) ([69], [114], (213), (214), [232], [239], (260))

[69]

Chigger  

Crew chief in Vietnam, nineteen at the time, Paul turned him in for heroin, tried to kill Paul by rolling a hand grenade under his bed, reminds Paul of the Massai warrior on McCandless's Natural History magazine (84), ([84], [213], [240]) (see note 66.20 : http://williamgaddis.inwriting.org/gothic/gothicnotes3.shtml . )

[84]

Chin, Doris

Feature writer ([78], [82], [108]) (see note 82.17 : http://williamgaddis.inwriting.org/gothic/gothicnotes3.shtml .)

[78]

Cowpie

Friend of Billy from Akron , Buddhist ([34])

[34]

Cruikshank

Lester's Chief of Station (COS) in Matidi (130), "twisted, rotting, bent old tree" (236), "the successful survivor" (236) ([130], [131-132], [141-142], [143], [146], [209], [234-237], [239])

[130]

Drucker

Paul's fellow soldier in Vietnam , has a collection of ears ([213])

[213]

Fickert, Billey

Wayne 's mother, “vivacious dark haired woman,” she is meant to play a role in a movie called “The Wayne Fickert Story” (101) ([70], [81], [87], (94), [101], [170], [178], [201], [202], [261])

[70]

Fickert, Earl

Wayne's father, working in automobile business in Mississippi, running a junkyard in Mississippi (207), wants to sue Ude for negligence, manslaughter (207), once came after Ude with an axe (261) ([82], [207], [261])

[82]

Fickert, Wayne

Nine-year-old boy drowned during baptism by Reverend Ude (see also Frolic 426-432), in South Carolina's Pee Dee River; Wayne Fickert Bible Collegebible named after him, originally to be called Bobbie Joe Ude Bible College after Elton Ude's son (80, 102), "Willey Fickert" (239) ([47], [70] [78], [79], [80], [102], [179], [190], [239])

[47]

Gates, Pearly

Accompanying Rev. Ude's sermon at the grave of Wayne Fickert musically with his baritone, in a wheelchair, war veteran, wearing the Good Conduct medal, “this huge black guy” (178),”holding off the Federal Marshals with an M16” in the Christian Survival camp in Smackover (243) ([81], [82], [104], [114], [212], [215], [243]) (see note 81.23 : http://williamgaddis.inwriting.org/gothic/gothicnotes3.shtml )

[81]

girl

Girl looking for her black dog (257-258)

(257)

Mr. Gold

Name invented for someone working at Saks, phoned to tell Elizabeth her purse had been found, presumably involved in robbery at the house ([219])

[219]

Mr. Grimes

Edie's father, also involved in trust of father, chairman in father's company, sits on board of the airline, on whose plane Liz had the accident, also on the board of the airline's insurance company, successor of VCR (17), “this close friend of Senator Teakell” (222), "the successful survivor" (236) ([5], [6], [16], [21], [33], [41-42], [46], [77], [86], [99], [106], [107], [174], [204-205], [207], [209], [231], [233-237], [258], [259], [260])

[5]

Grimes, Cissie

Edie's mother, giving a benefit for Jack Orsini raising money for the foundation F R Voraker's had set up ([207])

[207]

Grimes, Edie

Elizabeth's “childhood friend” (255), “a flaky blonde” (40) ([16-17], [21], (32-35), [39-42], [66], [77], [88], [97], [99], [156], [206], [222], [231], [252], [256], 262)

[16]

Grimes, Squeekie

Edie's sister, once passed out naked in father's bathroom ([21], [34], [41])

[21]

Grissom

Lawyer ([54], [71])

[54]

Grocery man

Bringing what Elizabeth had ordered for dinner with McCandless (199)

(199)

Guy from Florida

Also some friend of Elizabeth, who wanted to become a great actor ([89])

[89]

Gwen

Character in McCandless' novel, based on Irene ([137])

[137]

homeless

“that bum that drowned they buried in the county cemetery” (207) (mentioned in two other places…)

[?]

Indian Mexican

Also involved in business with Grimes etc. [21]

[21]

Irene

McCandless's second wife, left him two years before the novel's opening, “pretty” (132) ([53], [65], [“66”], [67], [94], [“120”], [132], [145], [“251”])

[53]

Jeannie

“…the one [McCandless] had down in the Bureau of Mines she lived on DuPoint Circle ” (148) ([148])

[148]

Jheejheeboy

Fromer husband (255) of Edie, Indian, they are separated ([41], [42], [98], [255])

[41]

kid

Skinny nineteen year old kid, who mugged Paul, killed by Paul ("Viet Vet kills mugg," 247), reminds Paul of the crew chief, who tried to kill him in Vietnam ([200], [213], [225-226], [240])

[200?]

Kinkead, Frank

Character in McCandless' novel, based on McCandless himself ([136], [137], [139], [144], [146])

[136]

Dr. Kissinger

Doctor, leaving for Europe , “the famed shuttle surgeon, who leaves tomorrow for Johannesburg to perform a colostomy on the President of South Af” (208) ([15], [50], [62], [84], [208], [258], [260])

[15]

Klinger

Former superior of McCandless, has been killed (127) ([127], [131-132], [133], [134], [139], [140-141], [143-144], [238-239])

[127]

Kowalski

Paul's fellow soldier in Vietnam , gets crazy "out there," gets killed ([213])

[212]

Landsteiner

Also involved in trust of Vorakers ([6])

[6]

Lea

Aunt Lea, Edie's “terrible old aunt,” died at age 96 ([42], [88], [97])

[42]

Lester

former collegue of McCandless, has a close-cropped head, hard little round eyes, a speckled tweed jacket, kind of yellow (60), narrow shoulders, “you're the missionary, you're the skinny kid in the cheap black suit, the black tie and that cheap white shirt” (McCandless, 125), thirteen when he was ordained (128), "the locals took him for some kind of intelligence" (234), "cold blooded fervour in those hard little eyes" (234) (36-37, [60], [62], [119], 123-148, [234-236], [238-239])

(36)

Lilly

Father's secretary and his mistress for twenty years, she inherits a house (' Bedford '), had an airplane accident four years ago (16) ([7], [16])

[7]

Mr. Lopots

Doctor Gustav Schak's attorney, F X Lopots Attorney, called by McCandless on behalf of “Doctor Schak versus Booth” (171) ([48], [163], [170], (170))

[48] [163]

man

Man from the newspaper, looking around the house after Elizabeth's death (255-257)

(255)

McCandless Senior

Father of McCandless, like his son suffering from arthritis at an early age ([251])

[251]

Mr. McCandless

The house's landlord (they are behind two months' rent, 133), geologist, “man somewhat older […] cool grey calm of his eyes” (in Liz's novel, 64), “he's a criminal […] up for sentencing […] for felony” (Paul, 74), strong smoker, lost a thumb it seems (125) has written a novel (124), appears as expert witness in trials in Smackover over teaching science in schools (53, 126), has written for science journals (126), for schoolbooks (134), writing for textbooks, for encyclopaedias as “a fresh start” (166), IRS froze his bank account (130), “sort of a neat old guy” (192), arthritis, coughs a lot (250), in the end sells out to the CIA accepting $ 16,000 Lester had offered him (246) ([2], [15], [20-21], [27-28], [48], 59-63, 64-68, [73], 118-150, 151-172, 176-192, 193-196, 218-246, [255])

[2]

Mrs. McCandless

Wife of McCandless, they have separated ([20-21], [29], [36], [37], [“65-66”], [“67”], 248-252)

[20]

McCandless, Jack

McCandless's son, once attended school with Billy, “this kid in school named McCandless […] sort of a neat kid,” Billy still owes him two hundred dollars (176) ([176-177], [249], [252])

[176]

McFardle, Jim

Someone Paul knows ([71], [85], [199])

[71]

Mullins, Sheila

Girl-friend of Billy, into Buddhist religion, she wants a Buddhist service for Billy (256) ([9], [21], [34], [85], [173], [174], [256])

[9]

Mr. Mullins

Sheila's father, Owner of a dry-cleaner on the east side (34), “the poor man” (38) ([34], [38], (95), [172-173])

[34] (38)

Nigerian

Young Nigerian, studying medicine in the US , selling zebra hides to pay medical school, sold one to McCandless ([250])

[250]

nurse

Bitchy nurse working for Dr. Kissinger ([50], [162])

[50]

Old man

Neighbour of the Booths, “shade,” “the old celebrant out there, broom and flattened dustpan,” “he finally drove me out of this house,” “I learned to hate him” (168) (McCandless, 166) (123) (58, 61, 166-168, [244], 258)

(58)

Orsini, Jack

Doctor, on neurologist convention in Geneva, Liz's father had set up a “research thing” for him, 8 million dollar foundation (15, 40), friend of Edie (32), ([14-15], [32], [34], [40-41], [71], [72-73], [84], [113], [207], [258], [260])

[14]

prostitute

“that slut who worked the New Stanley,” (133) disappeared with her “husband” after alleged murder of Klinger ([133])

[133]

Riddle

Character in McCandless novel based on Cruikshank ([130])

[130]

Schak, Gustav

Doctor, having done spirometry on Liz (14), one visit $ 260, “that lovely man,” on vacation, playing golf in Palm Springs (34) ([14-15], [48], [50], [162-163], [171])

[14]

Seiko

Collegue of McCandless and Lester ([124], [141])

[124]

Slotko

Washington lawyer, with “top contacts inside the Administration” (106), Paul gets him to work on VCR's stock options, “he's just their Jew in the window” (Paul, 209) ([105], [106], [109], [169-170), [200], [208-209], [258])

[105)

Slyke

Character in McCandless novel, Mormon (148), based on Lester ([129], [136])

[129]

Sneddiger

Doing business with Adolph, working at bank, offering Paul legal counsel ([5], [71], [86])

[5]

Madame Socrate

Cleaning woman from Haiti , already worked for McCandless [33] ([23], 25-31, [55], [56], [75], [76], [107], (226), [245])

[23]

Solant

Former collegue of McCandless, “forging passports, tapping tele…” (130) ([130])

[130]

Somali

“Thin lipped Somali” (131) working with Lester at some time in the past, "they had [him] ten years on for stealing some truck tires" (234) ([131], [234-235])

[131]

Steyner, Bobbie

Friend of Elizabeth from childhood, “they said [he] had only one ball” (90) ([90]) (see note: 90.1 : http://williamgaddis.inwriting.org/gothic/gothicnotes3.shtml )

 

Stumpp

Connected to Doctor Schak, ([48], [“59”], (162-163), [171])

[48]

Sweet, Victor

African American senatorial candidate, Edie says he's charming, Paul says he has a prison record, (97), McCandless tells another story (222), “black marshmellow” in Grimes' words (222) ([43-45], [77], [97-98], [106], [206-207], [221], [222])

[43]

Teakell

“the best senator money could buy,” senator in Washington, “been in there for thirty years,” Food for Africa program (77), “this old crud senator” (175), on a fact finding tour in Africa, "[Grimes] owned Teakell didn't he" (236), Teakell family seed company got the patent on hybrid corn strains (237), dies in airplane (247, 261) ([34], [44-45], (61), [69], [77], [85], [97], [98], [106], [107], [175], [199], [205], [207], [212], [221-222], [233-234], [236-237], [238], [258]) (see note 44.4 : http://williamgaddis.inwriting.org/gothic/gothicnotes2.shtml )

[34]

Teakell, Cettie

Girl from Saint Tim's Elizabeth and Edie used to know, childhood friend of Elizabeth, daughter of senator Teakell, has a car accident, Paul spends $ 260 on flowers for her (88), staying in a hospital in Texas (99), suing the car company on whose board Grimes is sitting (205) ([34], [44], [76-77], [88], [99], [107], [204-205], [206], [221-222])

[34]

Dr. Terranova

The airline insurance company's doctor ([61], [72], [109], [208])

[61]

Tibetan

Skinny Tibetan, Sheila “took off [with] for the ashram in Jersey ” ([173])

[173]

Ude, Betty Joe

Ude's older daughter ([103])

[103]

Ude, Bobbie Joe

Ude's son ((101-105), [108], [114], (260-262))

(101)

Ude, daughter

Ude's younger daughter, still wetting her pants ([103])

[103]

Ude, Elton

Evangelical preacher from the rural South, one of Paul's 'clients' (13), “Voice of Salvation” radio station in Africa, bible school in South Carolina (47), “old buddy” (50), reminds Liz of a red-breasted merganser (52), about four feet tall, “the dynamic leader of Christian Recovery for America's People (78), send by Paul to visit Cettie Teakell at the hospital to impress senator Teakell (99), “that redneck creep” (178), “the plague” (179), his enemies say he is “a mail order minister someplace in Modesto California” (207), "that loathsome little Reverend Ude" (231), wounded (“Preacher shot in bribe case,” 260) ([9-10], [13], [19], [24], (37), [39], [45-47], (50), (51), [52], [71], [73], [78-82], [83], [99], [101-105], [107], [111-113], [114], [178-179], [181-182], [185], [187], [204], [205], [207], [209], [214], [221], [223-224], [231], [234], [236], [238-239], [243]) (see note 10.11 : http://williamgaddis.inwriting.org/gothic/gothicnotes1.shtml )

[9]

Mrs. Ude

Ude's wife, “ran off with a salesman last year” ([110])

[110]

Ude, Sally Joe

Elton Ude's mother, got married with fourteen ([110-113])

[110]

Urich

Sergeant Urich, "some dipshit sergeant" (213) ((108), [213])

(108)

Vorakers, F.R.

Elizabeth's and Billy's father, “the old man,” head of Vorakers Consolidated Reserve (VCR, 229), “this advisor to presidents, this master of corporate strategy, master of this far flung mining empire master of bullshit” (Billy, 90), “late mineral tycoon” (255), committed suicide eight or nine years before the novel opens (154), shooting himself (233), Elizabeth tells McCandless he was pushed from a train roof (152, 226) ([5], [6], [7], [15], [18], [33-34], [86], [90-91], [105], [106], [152], [154], [174], [177-178], [193], [223], [226], [229], [255])

[5]

Mrs. Vorakers

Elizabeth's and Billy's mother, in a nursing home in New Jersey called Hopewell (92), she hated Longview (173), “the old lady's a vegetable” (258) ([34-35], [65], [90], [173], [228], [258])

[34]

Vorakers, Billy

Elizabeth's brother, “he's crazy” (Paul, 13), twenty four years old, having odd jobs here and there, called Jennifer by his sister in play when three (90), rents Sheila's apartment in California to other people (173), an “unseemly parody” of his sister (177), dies when plane is shot down before the coast of Africa (236, 237), picture of him from his school yearbook in the newspaper (225), having a fight with Paul the day before he flies off to Africa (242) (3-9, [10], 11-12, [13], [17-18], [20-21], [22], [34], [38], [41], 85-92), 87-92, [154], 172-196, [223-224], [229], [231], [233], [237], [241-242], [244], [256], [258])

(2)

William

Uncle of Liz and Billy, staying in Payne Whitney (13) ([6], [13], [98], [258]) (cp. note 13.10 : http://williamgaddis.inwriting.org/gothic/gothicnotes1.shtml )

[6]

Woman

Woman from Pee Dee Citizen bank at Wayne Fickert's funeral, eating Cheez Doodles ([74])

[74]

Dr. Yount

Another doctor in whose waiting room Elizabeth sat ([49], [62], [170], [202])

[49]