Odds Against Tomorrow Character Analysis

Humans are logical thinkers, in fact the most logical, yet it is easy for us to make decisions and act irrationally. We crave not to work more efficiently, nor to be better contributors to the society, but to feel safe and feel good, which is why car manufacturers use safety as their selling point. Emotion is the driver and we are the cars. Our personality and habits fluctuate with our emotions such as love, pain, anger or excitement. However, fear is the most impactful emotion that can drive us and what we do, because it gives a sense of safety and survival. In the book Odds Against Tomorrow, Nathaniel Rich gives us an alternative reality where we can see a world that becomes consumed by fear and see changes in characters such as Mitchell …show more content…
But he does not only do it for himself, he tries to use his skills, hoping to provide others with a better future as well. In the very beginning of the novel, Mitchell’s roommate describes how he had the disaster in Seattle calculated and tried to warn others, but his warnings were neglected. This negligence makes him feel even more fearful about what might happen, if he were to be right. Before Mitchell became successful with FutureWorld, he was neglected from his first job at Fitzsimmons Sherman where they refused to give him the position he wanted, even though he was overqualified. After joining FutureWorld, he meets many corporate representatives such as Nybuster, who underestimates him. So, when he is finally rich for his success of selling fear, he buys the Psycho canoe to prove to himself that no one should be underestimating him, “He felt that he had proved something…” (100). The Psycho canoe is a very expensive painted canoe that Mitchell buys with his pocket change after he felt underestimated by its seller, who assumed that he could not afford it. For a moment, he becomes free of paranoia as this accomplishment gives him enough confidence to overshadow his fear of negligence and anxiety. His attitude, personality and the way he generally acts changes in a heartbeat. “He watched himself take risks that weeks ago would have …show more content…
Elsa’s actions are neither constrained by societal conventions, nor her terrible heart condition, where it can give out at any moment. This type of attitude towards fear and danger is the complete opposite of Mitchell’s, so Elsa’s actions and personality are very different as well. Elsa’s first letter to Mitchell gives us a glimpse into her character when compared to Mitchell’s. Elsa moves to an isolated farm with limited medical resources and communication. She does not even bother talking about Brugada, which she finds to be “boring”. This letter outrages Mitchell, as her carelessness actually gets under his skin as he thinks to himself, “How could she babble on about planting squash and sunflowers while all along hummed the constant threat of annihilation?” (36). Mitchell cannot imagine being anything like her. Most of the letters he gets back from Elsa are about menial complaints and nothing about her harsh living conditions. However, the more he thinks about how she copes with her anxiety, the more confident he becomes. He even starts to crave the letters she sent as her confidence helped his own. “...he was afraid there was not a letter in the pile and he was afraid that he was afraid” (89). Mitchell realizes that even though Elsa’s actions are laughable from his point of view, he is becoming obsessed with her character. Nybuster