Characterisation of Gideon

Gideon is one of the main character in the short story “Gideon” by ZZ Packer. His outer characterization presents him as a Jewish PhD student and focuses on his physical appearance with “hair like an Afro wig and a nervous smile” (p. 153, ll. 2-3) and white skin:

He always smelled different after being outside. Like a farm animal, or watercress. Plus he had a ton of calluses. Sometimes I'd stare in the mid-darkness at how white he was. If I pressed his skin, he'd bruise deep fuchsia and you'd be able to see it even in the dark. I was very dark compared to him. He was so white it was freaky, sometimes. (p. 153, ll. 18-24)

Inner characterization

Gideon’s inner characterization suggests that he is a man with strong political beliefs, “even though his PhD had nothing to do with politics and was called ‘Temporal Modes of Discourse and Ekphrasis in Elizabethan Poetry’ ” (p. 152, ll. 9-11).

The views he exposes about politics, talking about “fascist corporations” (p. 152, ll. 12-13), “industrial complex” (p. 153, l. 1), and “the Middle East and Palestinians” (p. 154, ll. 8-9) suggest that Gideon is a socialist (an economic and  political system in which the state has a major role) or perhaps even an anarchist (believing in the abolishion of any form of authority and hierarchy in the society). He is obviously against capitalism (an economic and political system in which the state has a lesser role than the private owners) as indicated be his speeches where he protests “against the Federal Reserve Board, NAFTA, the gun lobby and the neo-industrial complex” (p. 153, ll. 27-28).

Furthermore, he is a promoter of organic and kosher food and products, as indicated by the reference to “tapenade on fancy stale bread” (p. 153, l. 14) or the ironical allu...