50 pages 1 hour read

George R. Stewart

Earth Abides

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1949

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Character Analysis

Isherwood “Ish” Williams

Ish is the protagonist, and apart from intermittent narrative digressions, the story is told exclusively from his perspective as the third-person omniscient narrator sticks close to Ish and details the world as he sees it. A graduate student and scholar, Ish frequently observes the events around him with a clinical eye, analyzing and cataloging rather than reacting.

Ish values intellectual achievement to such an extent that he regularly refers to George as “stupid” and to Evie as “half-witted.” He acknowledges Emma’s emotional strength but disparages her lack of education. He favors Joey above all the other children because, Ish believes, he is the only one who exhibits a “creative spark” and scholarly curiosity. Ish’s esteem for Joey is so high he refers to him as “savior.” While Ish represents a quintessential man of science and technological achievement, trained to be a leader, his character is also a product of the novel’s era: Earth Abides was written at a time when the United States was entangled in the Cold War and the dire technological competition was just beginning to ignite in the minds of the nation’s scientists.

Related Titles

By George R. Stewart

Plot Summary

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Ordeal by Hunger

George R. Stewart

Ordeal by Hunger

George R. Stewart