Character Clues
Character Analysis
Thoughts and Opinions
If you've ever watched a 24-hour news channel, then you've probably noticed that thoughts and opinions are what really separate one news channel from another. Fox News correspondents are infamous for their conservative ideals while MSNBC's go the other way—they rock a more liberal agenda.
And then Jon Stewart and The Daily Show come in and make fun of the whole system.
Thoughts and opinions characterize these correspondents, and the same can be said for the characters in A Canticle. In particular, we think you should pay attention to how thoughts and opinions create foils between characters.
For example, Abbott Zerchi is the Fox News of the novel. He's more conservative in his views and doesn't want the government getting involved where he feels religion should be in charge. He considers Green Star's euthanasia program to be "'state-sponsored suicide'" (27.9).
Then we have Doctor Cors, who is the MSNBC of the novel. He stands by the Radiation Disaster Act and sees euthanasia as "'better than letting [someone] die horribly, by degrees'" (27.10).
As for the Poet, he's totally The Daily Show of the novel, as he sees the joke in the whole sad affair we call everyday life.
Names
Names give away the game of characterization pretty quickly in A Canticle if you know what you're looking for. Mad Bear is the best "duh" example. He's named after a bear, and he has some pretty bearish qualities to him.
But did you know that Abbot Arkos is named after the Greek word for bear? It's true (source). And those two have a decent amount in common when you think about it.
Other character names signaling characterization include Brother Joshua. In the Bible, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land of Canaan after the death of Moses (source). Rocking a similar resume, Brother Joshua leads the Leibowitz Order into space, which is potentially the new Promised Land.
Finally, the enigma that is Benjamin could have several name references. But two of them are really interesting. First, his name could link him to the Biblical character, one of Joseph's twelve brothers and a founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Or, it could be a reference to Benjamin II, a famous Jewish traveler and historian. Both link Benjamin's character with the Jewish people and their historical wanderings. And Dom Paulo even wonders if the character is "the last old Hebrew" (16.96).
Occupation
Occupations work fairly well as a litmus test for determining characterization in A Canticle. But this test isn't totally reliable.
Take the abbots of Leibowitz Abbey, for example. Dom Paulo and Zerchi have little love for the governments of their eras, and both work against their agendas.
Dom Paulo desires to bridge the gap between the church and the secular scholar, hoping to prevent the collegium from advancing Hannegan's ambitions (21.64). Zerchi helps the Quo Peregrinatur succeed, despite breaking a few government laws here and there to do so.
Then we have the secular rulers. They're characterized as jerks and a half, and it's easy to see why: Hannegan moves and kills people like pieces on a life-size chess board. The Defense Minister is "'fully aware of the consequences of another war,'" but starts one anyway (27.13).
In both eras, the secular rulers put their political gains over the welfare of humanity. Not decent folk, really.
Then we have Abbot Arkos, who occupies a middle ground between the two. As an abbot, he plays the church's political game to promote Leibowitz as a saint, and strengthen the abbey's importance in the Catholic Church. But the way he abuses young Francis to meet his own ends puts him in league with characters like Hannegan.
So occupation works pretty well as a characterization tool. But it has its limitations. Beware: some people aren't always what they seem.