Homeland Characters & Character Analysis

Homeland Characters

First Immigrant: "I have a relative in America."

Second Immigrant: "Everybody has a relative in America."

In Homeland (1993), once again John Jakes's meticulous research and his dedication to making history come alive is apparent. He manages to control a staggering amount of material and keeps it "lively and interesting." In addition to reaching new heights of "famous-name dropping," Jakes infuses his novel with hope and optimism as he sets the stage for another entry in the Crown Family Chronicles.

Jakes is interested in the turn-of-thecentury assimilation of Europeans into American society and culture because it is a part of his own family history.

He has dedicated Homeland to his maternal grandfather, William Carl Retz (1849-1936), who emigrated from Germany in 1870 and lived in Ohio and Indiana in German settlements. Jakes attributes his writing skill to this grandfather who loved to...
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