Who is Mel?

Like many of the novel’s main characters, Mel remains static because she is a symbolic character type: the Conscientious Academic. Mel believes in research, historical knowledge, and empathy as tools to solve problems and balance power. She approaches obstacles with quiet curiosity until she finds the solution that averts negative consequences for all involved. As a result, Mel is skeptical of power and aggression, especially in her symbolic foil, Blevins. Mel represents the potential of academia to balance aggression with knowledge and understanding, and she does her best to embody those humanistic values throughout the novel.