ATTDA (3): Webb, Veikko, family, 81-84

[Paul Nightingale]

At the beginning of Ch8 we know Webb, having been introduced to him in the
previous chapter. Yet Veikko is introduced (82-84) by way of his back-story;
moreover, this detail is offered, principally, from Webb's pov as we follow
him from Cowboy's Christmas to Dynamite's National Holiday, from the
"perfect day all round" (81) to "the fairly routine job". Whereas Lew (36)
and Merle (28) are introduced at the moment their marriages end, Webb is a
solitary figure; his relation to nitro is described as "intimate" (82), a
somewhat loaded term, and we are reminded of his meeting with Merle (76).

So, for Webb, there is no back-story; and this, I think, emphasises the
contrast in characterisation here is Ch8. At this moment in time his
function is to lead us to Veikko, now introduced as "a veteran" of political
struggle (82): one of the foreign anarchists so far described from a
distance (by Lindsay, 6; Nate, 25 and 43; and once with sympathy by Lew,
50). This aligns Webb with Lew as the reader's guide to a more favourable
image of the anarchist. Lew had observed a community of "regular Americans".
Here, Veikko is placed within a history of class conflict, one characterised
by its global nature (and "world-wide outlook", 83). He is a political
animal, as the text notes: "Mostly with Veikko you had your choice of two
topics ..." etc. Earlier, when describing Lew's gumshoe activity, the text
noted that "[a]narchists and heads of state [were] defined these days as
natural enemies" (51); and the current chapter develops this argument.
Veikko cannot differentiate the Tsar's regime and US capitalism: "To
struggle against one, he figured, was to struggle against the other" (83).
One thing the various ruling classes have in common, perhaps, is their
disregard for history as defined by the personal: the postcard passage on 84
introduces a change of mood for Veikko associated, precisely, with family.