The Fork River Space Project: Analysis of Major Characters
The Fork River Space Project explores a diverse cast of characters, each contributing to the narrative's exploration of curiosity, love, and the unknown. Central to the story is Kelcey, a middle-aged writer whose openness to new experiences leads him to the ghost town of Fork River. His relationship with his much younger wife, Alice, is significant, as her eventual departure with O. P. Dahlberg, a secretive house painter and former science fiction writer, introduces themes of loss and longing. The enigmatic Harry Lorbeer, a part-time plumber and the project's proprietor, adds a layer of mystery with his belief in otherworldly salvation. Alice is portrayed as a gentle and generous figure, whose connection to both Kelcey and Dahlberg raises questions about loyalty and desire. Supporting characters, such as Miss Ingalls, a passionate librarian, and Dr. Rainey, a thoughtful local weather expert, further enrich the narrative by providing insights into the lore of Fork River and the broader implications of its mysteries. Together, these characters navigate their intertwined fates against a backdrop of exploration and existential inquiry.
The Fork River Space Project: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Wright Morris
First published: 1977
Genre: Novel
Locale: Near the border of Kansas and Nebraska
Plot: Realism
Time: The late 1970's
Kelcey, a middle-aged writer. The fact that his wife calls him a “tease” suggests the fact that he has a tentative attitude toward life; he is always willing to alter his opinions. His curiosity propels him to the ghost town of Fork River and leaves him open to Harry Lorbeer's vision of the past and the future. Although he is devoted to his young wife, when she leaves him he is neither bitter nor vengeful. Instead, he is content to wait patiently for what will happen, perhaps a tornado, perhaps a visitation from outer space.
Alice Calley Kelcey, Kelcey's wife. A small, pretty woman with brown eyes and dark brown hair, she is shy but stable in character. Much younger than Kelcey, she nevertheless seems happy with him, attached to her home and to her garden. Her very openness and generosity, which led her to fall in love with Kelcey, draw her to O. P. Dahlberg. Finally, Alice disappears with Dahlberg, leaving a cryptic note for her husband.
Harry Lorbeer, a proprietor of the Fork River Space Project. A part-time plumber, usually attired in bib overalls, he is short, plump, and balding. He drives a gaudy hippie van. The youngest child and only son of a railroad magnate who once lived in Fork River, Harry is now the mysterious guru of a mysterious faith that sees the only possible salvation of the world in some contact with forces beyond it.
O. P. Dahlberg, also known as Peter O. Bergdahl, a house painter. A boyish, clean-cut man in his late thirties, he is not prepossessing. He is pockmarked, bowlegged, and awkward, with an unexpectedly high voice. Secretive and indifferent almost to the point of being insulting, he will not volunteer any information about himself to Kelcey. At second hand, Kelcey learns that Dahlberg was a young genius and later a writer of science fiction, that his real name is Peter O. Bergdahl, and that he is a lifelong resident of the Fork River area. Evidently, Dahlberg confides more in Alice, with whom he eventually falls in love, courting her in conversation and in trips to a salvage store and to a fair, trips that arouse Kelcey's suspicions. Kelcey does not suspect anything serious, however, until he reads the note from Alice indicating that she has run away with Dahlberg.
Miss Ingalls, a librarian. A quiet, prim woman in late middle age, she kindles with excitement when she has an inquiry about local history. She discovers the works by Peter O. Bergdahl, including the story that seems to attribute the decline of Fork River to a visit by an unidentified flying object.
Dr. Rainey, the local weather expert. A large, suntanned man with a booming voice, he appears ill at ease in the formal clothes that his indoor job demands. A happily married man with four children, he is conventional in manner but is open-minded about what space may hold, from aliens to black holes, and he is willing to speculate about the Fork River mystery.