Berra

Berra is a fictionalized version of Lawrence “Yogi” Berra, the real-life catcher who played for the Yankees baseball team at the time in which the story is set. The real-life Berra was famous for his malapropisms and his idiosyncratic use of the English language. Helprin exploits this reputation by having his character Berra utter cryptic remarks such as, “The start of the middle is the end of the road for the beginning” and mixing up the terms “Hasid” and “hayseed.” Berra has a spiritual streak that makes him instinctively supportive of Roger from the moment when he first appears at Yankee Stadium.

Rabbi Eisvogel

Rabbi Eisvogel is a member of the Hasidic Jewish community in which Roger lives at the story’s opening. He is a wise man who allows Roger to listen to the radio in Schnaiper&rsquo...