Masterpiece

James is an observant, shy, and sensitive eleven-year-old boy. He does not seem to have many friends his age, as seen during his birthday party where all the guests are children of Mrs. Pompaday’s clients. When the beetles decide to give James a birthday gift, they settle on a buffalo nickel, knowing that a boy as observant as James will appreciate it. James’s observant quality is key to his ability to communicate with Marvin. Because they cannot speak, James must use his attention to detail to understand Marvin’s small movements and gestures. This eye for detail becomes key to rescuing the Dürer drawings, particularly when James notices Denny’s initials and the Getty logo on the briefcase holding the drawings.

James’s shyness is mostly shown through his interactions with adults, especially those who praise him for Marvin’s work. James tends to blush at this praise and struggles to respond to adults who are new to him, like upon his first meeting with Christina and Denny. However, as James warms up to them, he can better express his thoughts and feelings. At the beginning of the novel, James’s shyness contributes to his inability to connect with other kids. However, at the end, James’s cast and his newfound fame from saving the drawings make him popular at school.

James is sensitive and empathetic. The beetles like James because he is kind and has never shown a desire to hurt or disturb them. James’s empathy is especially apparent with his attitude toward Denny after Denny is discovered to be the thief. Despite the crimes Denny has committed, James hopes Denny doesn’t get caught and face prison time. James knows his dad cares about Denny, and James himself has grown fond of him. James is very sensitive to the relationships of the people around him. He confides in Marvin about his parents’ divorce, wishing they could be a happy family again. James also tells Marvin that he only agreed to sell Marvin’s drawing because it made his mom so proud, but even then, James feels bad about agreeing to sell because he knows it hurt Marvin’s feelings. James’s empathy and sensitivity play a key role in his friendship with Marvin.

Christina is characterized by her kind demeanor and her passion for art. She is described as “slim and tidy-looking” (63), with honey blonde hair often tied back in a tight bun and rectangular glasses. Christina is a curator for the drawing department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has a passionate admiration for Albrecht Dürer, often losing herself in the minute details of his work and rambling about his life and art. Christina is enamored by the works her museum displays, treating each with care and attention as she admires them.

Christina’s kindness is what draws Marvin to her. Marvin likes that Christina directs her full attention to James when he speaks, often bending so that she can look James in the eye. Christina is familiar with many famous art thefts, which is why she masterminds the plan to stage the theft of Fortitude. This plan reveals that Christina is cunning in addition to kind, and that she only wishes to retrieve the other Dürer Virtues. Though Marvin initially thinks Christina is in on the theft with Denny, he comes to realize that she isn’t; the hurt she feels when things go wrong is sincere and comes from a place of passion for the works the museum houses.

Karl is James’s dad and Mrs. Pompaday’s ex-husband. He is an artist who primarily works with paints. Karl is described as a “big man with longish brown hair and a messy scruff of beard” (21). Karl cares a lot about James and gifts James a pen and ink set, despite James not showing any interest in art. In this way, it’s implied that Karl doesn’t have a very good grasp on James’s interests but wants to share his own interests. Karl is so impressed by Marvin’s drawing (thinking it’s James’s) that he takes James to the museum to show him how closely the drawing resembles those of the old masters.

Karl is not afraid to push back when he feels boundaries are being crossed. When Christina pushes for James to visit her office, Karl becomes assertive and protective of the limited time he gets with his son. Karl also shows this protectiveness when James accuses Denny of stealing the drawings, unwilling to believe that Denny could do such a thing since they were close friends. Karl’s concern for his son and his friends comes before anything else, and he makes sure that James knows he’s loved.

Denny is Karl’s friend from college. He is described as a “rumpled-looking older man” (61). He works as the Curator of Drawings at the Getty Museum in California. Like Christina, he shares a passion for Albrecht Dürer’s works. James, Karl, and Christina all have a fondness for Denny, who seems harmless.

However, Denny has a cunning side, which is revealed when Marvin discovers that Denny is in possession of all four of Dürer’s stolen Virtues. Denny hints at his motivations when he and Christina are talking about art theft with Karl and James, saying that some people steal for the love of the art. Denny is passionate about Dürer and hoards his work for himself. Denny also manipulates Christina, gaining her trust in order to steal Justice and Fortitude. He acts heartbroken along with her after it’s revealed that the real Fortitude is missing. He comforts her and tries to reassure her that it isn’t her fault. Denny’s motivations seem self-serving; he steals the drawings for himself and, once discovered, goes on the run so he doesn’t have to pay for his crimes.