Amerika: The Missing Person

Karl encounters Delamarche and Robinson for the first time at an inn after leaving Pollunder’s estate. The men continually cause trouble for Karl due to their lack of morals and reckless, selfish behavior. Nonetheless, Karl sticks with them as they make their way to Butterford, even paying for their meals. Karl’s desperate desire to belong, even with Delamarche and Robinson, drives him to remain loyal to them despite their many flaws. It is only at the chapter’s end, when he sees that they tampered with his suitcase, that he decides to go alone to the Hotel Occidental. The photograph of Karl’s parents has emotional value, as he offers whomever returns it “the entire suitcase plus contents” (86), but neither Delamarche nor Robinson has it.

Within moments of meeting, Delamarche and Robinson try to exploit Karl, removing his suit and selling it. The men initially appear trustworthy as they do not try to steal from Karl’s suitcase while sharing the same room. Karl trusts them on this evidence alone as his nature is to trust everyone, and he is so fixated on his suitcase that he does not recognize the other ways in which he is being taken advantage of. Karl’s lack of awareness and pliable nature become evident in how easily Delamarche convinces him to do things against his own interests. Delamarche convinces Karl to give up his suit and join him and Robinson on their adventure with relative ease. Delamarche and Robinson sell the suit to a cleaning woman and keep most of the profit themselves. They convince Karl of their plan, promising to help carry his suitcase and take him to Butterford, which allegedly has many jobs. Later, it becomes clear that the latter may not be true.

As the day unfolds, Delamarche and Robinson eat Karl’s Verona salami and rarely help with his luggage. Karl does not complain, as he feels it would be “petty” (73) to do so. Karl’s passivity leaves him vulnerable to bullying and manipulation, and this occurs many times throughout the novel. However, this trait is most visible in Karl’s interactions with Delamarche and Robinson because they most shamelessly exploit his tragic flaw: his lack of experience. In later interactions, the dynamic between Delamarche, Robinson, and Karl will become even more imbalanced.

Karl is unable to understand how American society functions, partially due to his ignorance of what life is like for everyday people. Karl is now surrounded by people of vastly different classes, and they behave differently from his uncle and his uncle’s friends. If Karl was better equipped, he would instantly recognize that Delamarche is lazy and manipulative, but he does not. Yet, Karl begins to detest Delamarche for insulting Jakob’s company as he takes the slight personally—but he does not tell the men that he is Jakob’s nephew.

When the men stop at an inn for a meal, Delamarche forces Karl to pay. At the same restaurant, Karl hears talk of Mr. Mak, and realizes that Mak’s father is “the greatest property developer in New York” (76). Karl’s earlier impression of Mak as a millionaire’s son gone wrong is proven to be a far more acute judgment than he seems capable of making; his insightful observations are just as often off the mark.

The people at the inn say that the Maks are losing millions due to labor strikes, but Karl doesn’t believe them. He doesn’t realize that the recent talk of Jakob and Mak’s businesses comes directly from newspapers and workers. Karl has yet to truly comprehend how the American class system operates, and this lack of understanding creates difficulties in his dealings with Delamarche and Robinson. When Karl accuses the two of stealing his photograph, he inadvertently offends by insisting that his having possessions makes him better than them. This puts an end to any kinship between them—and possibly contributes to Delamarche’s harsh treatment of Karl in their later interactions.

Karl marvels at the many cars speeding by and the fact he has yet to witness “a single car stopping or a single passenger getting out” (78). For the first time since his arrival in America, Karl has a chance to see the world beyond the street of his uncle’s home. He is transfixed by a view of New York Harbor: Everything is still new to him, and his innocent nature remains despite the day’s events.