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Illustrated portrait of Ken Woodrow

A character in The City and the Pillar

Ken Woodrow

A young corporal whose lack of interest repeats Jim’s pattern of unreturned desire.

What they want

To continue his military life without accepting the relationship Jim imagines.

The book

Cover of The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal
The City and the PillarGore Vidal, 1948

A young man carries one attachment through a world determined to make him live as someone else.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Ken is a younger corporal at the Colorado base.

Jim is attracted to him and hopes for reciprocity.

Ken does not respond in the way Jim wants.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • YoungHis youth and clean-cut appearance attract Jim.
  • DistantHe does not share Jim’s emotional investment.
  • A repetitionHis refusal anticipates the final conflict with Bob.
  • IndependentJim’s desire does not determine Ken’s identity or choices.

If you like The City and the Pillar

Four books that share themes, tone, or setting with this one.

If you like Gore Vidal

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    Henry Miller

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