The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance

Laura is a 24-year-old English literature teacher. She has auburn hair and wears a simple outfit to teach her first class. She is the novel’s secondary protagonist, and her questions and challenges to Sam also drive the plot. She studied at Yale and traveled around Europe after college. She pictures herself as an activist and plans at the start of the novel to go to law school to try to improve the world. Laura cares deeply about other people and wants the world to be a kind and fair place. Through her conversations and interactions with Sam, she begins to question her understanding of politics and her perspective on the world of business. She’s ultimately defined by her open-mindedness and her positive outlook. At the end of the novel, she’s recognized her feelings for Sam and begun to explore her positions more deeply. There isn’t any evidence she’ll become a hardcore proponent of capitalism, but she is still dedicated to the discussion. That dedication demonstrates her overall strength of character and commitment to growth and understanding.

Charles is the CEO of a fictional company named HealthNet. He is 50 but looks young for his age. He drives his car fast, listens to Frank Sinatra, likes to win at golf, and despises lawyers. He is a caricatured representation of the popular culture picture of a typical corporate CEO. When the secondary plotline ends, it is revealed his character is played by Michael Douglas, which is a direct reference to antihero Gordon Gecko in the movie Wall Street. He demonstrates repeatedly that he cares only about his company’s profits, rather than the success, comfort, or health of anyone around him. He is even implicated in an attempted murder designed to protect him and his company from investigation and prosecution. His love of Sinatra and several of his quotes connect him to Sam, supporting Sam’s contention that people who believe in capitalism are portrayed in popular culture as pure villains, rather than complex individuals.

Erica is the director of the fictional Office of Corporate Responsibility. She has red hair, listens to the Indigo Girls, and uses her dining room table as a second home office. Like Charles, she is an intentionally simplistic representation of an idealistic government employee. Her entire life is focused on bringing down corrupt corporations, in particular Healthnet and Charles. She is single-minded and believes entirely that her mission is righteous and that corporations are breeding grounds for corruption by default.

George Sutherland is the manager of the fictional HealthNet plant in Matalon, Ohio. He is a thoughtful, kind man who cares about his employees and his family. Unlike the other characters in the show plotline, George is multifaceted. Although he hates that the factory is closing, and he is afraid for his family and his town, he responds with sadness rather than rage. He struggles with his choice to open the plant in Mexico, feeling like a traitor. At the same time, he feels pride in his ability to create a functioning plant even with limited resources. He chose to devote himself to his job and his talents at that job, but no matter how hard he worked or how loyal he was, when the plant is finished in Mexico, he will be unemployed. He is a moral man and testifies at the senate hearings because he believes it’s the right thing to do, rather than out of revenge or for payment.