Martin Dressier himself is more than just the ideal entrepreneur (though he is certainly that too). It seems fair to suggest that the text as a whole presents Martin as something of a metaphor for America, or, at least, for twentieth-century America. He is the wide-eyed boy who never grows up, the ambitious youth who at times feels "a kind of inner straining at the leash, an almost physical desire to pour out his energy without constraint"; and by portraying Martin as such, Millhauser seems to be suggesting something similar about the character of America. While Martin is a remarkably "fiat" character, this seems to be an intentional move on Millhauser's part rather than an unfortunate accident. Upon the book's publication, some reviewers saw this as a fault, but it would seem more convincing to suggest that Martin's overall "blankness" is an essential part of his character. Not...