George Hayduke

George Hayduke, aka Rudolf the Red, is one of the four main characters in the novel. Hayduke is from Tuscon Arizona, but spent three years in Vietnam. The first two years were spent as a medic for the US, but after capture by the Vietcong, Hayduke spent fourteen months as a prisoner of war. Upon return, he was sent to military psychiatric wards, where doctors found him unfit for civilization. He learned to say what they wanted to hear, and through his lies, his parent's help, and the help of a Senator, he was freed. Upon returning to his homeland, however, Hayduke finds the landscape drastically altered as industry such as logging companies, power plants, and mining companies strip the land of all beauty. Hayduke is highly unstable, and this "rape" of his land gives rise to vast anger repressed after his time in the jungle.

Hayduke...