Character
Zachary, often called Zach, is a wealthy young man from Los Angeles, California, with parents who show little love for their son or each other, and who seem unable to exert any influence on their son's behavior. Zach is described as having "velvety black" hair, very pale skin, and "steel-grey" eyes. He is considered "gorgeous" by Vicky Austin and is taller than Polly O'Keefe, who considers herself "too tall." Intelligent but erratic in behavior, Zach is "kicked out" of numerous prestigious schools (namely for smoking in the bathroom or cheating as an art form), but demonstrates that he will learn a great deal on a subject that interests him, particularly anthropology. Zach suffers from a heart condition, and is often reckless and self-destructive, but at other times seeks desperately to live. Similarly, he is torn between cynical self-interest and more altruistic desires. Zach pursues relationships with L'Engle protagonists Vicky Austin and later Polly O'Keefe, apparently seeking emotional rescue. In his introductory appearance, he frequently sings "The Merry Minuet" by Sheldon Harnick, a song of black humor and global annihilation. Donald R. Hettinga says of Zachary at this stage that he "looks at human suffering and sees no hope." When his mother dies, he and his father have her body preserved through cryonics in lieu of a "pie in the sky" hope of resurrection. According to Carole F. Chase's study of L'Engle's work, L'Engle considered Zachary to be "a work in progress who will ultimately be redeemed."
Read more about this topic: Zachary Gray
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—William James (1842–1910)
“In my experience, persons, when they are made the subject of conversation, though with a Friend, are commonly the most prosaic and trivial of facts. The universe seems bankrupt as soon as we begin to discuss the character of individuals. Our discourse all runs to slander, and our limits grow narrower as we advance. How is it that we are impelled to treat our old Friends so ill when we obtain new ones?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Anonymous, U.S. women’s magazine contributor. Weekly Visitor or Ladies Miscellany, p. 20 (April 1803)