The Cuyahoga Massacre

The circumstances of this event (an ultimately violent confrontation between workers, bosses and law enforcement agencies) are described in detail in the prologue. Its inclusion in the narrative serves two purposes. The first is to define the character of the individual (Alexander Hamilton McCone) who is one of the prime formative influences on the main character (Walter Starbuck) and who in turn defines him. The second, and more important, is to foreshadow the ongoing tension between labor and management (and by extension between socialism/communism and capitalism) that underpins the book's central theme and much of its plot.

Harvard University

This is one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. Graduating from Harvard, in the book as in life, is generally held to be a symbol of achievement, status, and integrity. The book's central character is a graduate of Harvard, and throughout the...