Seamus

Seamus's storyline primarily features in Chapters 1 and 5, although he appears marginally in the surrounding sections. Seamus is a student at Iowa, pursuing his graduate degree in poetry. Although Seamus is passionate about poetry and writing, he often feels disillusioned with the program. He is convinced that his frustrations originate from his classmates’ and professors’ lack of seriousness. He is particularly disgusted that everyone in his cohort writes about their personal experiences. He does not think that pain, suffering, and trauma are art. He believes that such experiences are real. However, he does not believe that they have a place in poetry.

Over the course of Seamus's sections of the novel, Seamus’s disgust, disdain, and disillusionment prove to be more about himself than his peers. Indeed, Seamus has his own set of troubles and traumas he has yet to confront and process. Instead of writing about his unhappy...