Cast of Heroic Characters

In addition to "Rudder Glynn," there are five other powerful characters in the story—two men who were his comrades in arms and three women, all of whom he loved. The first and most important of the female characters is his wife, who loved him enough to forgive his indiscretions when he became romantically involved with the other two women. More about Millie Glynn later.

The other two became his lovers, not because he was a womanizer, but because they were thrust together with him during the most trying circumstances. The first lover is French, and she is cut down in a hail of machine-gun bullets as she attempts to free him from the French Milice.

The other woman is Vietnamese, and together they have a child he never knows. He confesses these affairs to his wife, and she forgives him. In the epilog, years later after all the mysteries of the twisted plot are revealed, the wife meets the daughter her husband never knew. The scene takes place in Arlington National Cemetery when the daughter visits the grave of her father. One reviewer described this meeting as follows:

The closing scene in the cemetery is a monument to the depths of human generosity and compassion. Millie (the wife) truly loved Lan (the Vietnamese woman) for her love for her husband and his love for her. The scene was gentle, frank, sensitive, loving, forgiving and life-giving, bold and courageous. Beautifully done,

Both of the male characters die in combat, and their loss has a profound effect on the life and character of Rudder Glynn.