Short Fiction · Character

Gordon Sterrett

A talented but broke young artist, Gordon Sterrett is caught between his own ruin and the people who want to save him from it.

major

Also known as Gordy, Gordon

First appearance: I

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Gordon Sterrett is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Visits Philip Dean at the Biltmore Hotel, seeking a loan; appears ill, shabbily dressed, and morally and financially bankrupt.

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Gordon Sterrett is the kind of young man whose gifts are real but whose life is already sliding — money gone, work stalled, and the wrong kind of help always within reach. He is tangled with Jewel, with his old crowd, and with the pull of a world that would rather rescue him than let him rescue himself. His struggle between talent and dissolution gives the story its central ache, and his choices in the early and middle chapters set the terms for everything that follows.

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See Gordon Sterrett in I

Character Web

16 connections

A slice of how Gordon Sterrett sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Romantic
Other

Character groups

Social climbers and romantics
Rebellion and mystery

+11 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Val reaches his emotional and psychological peak in this passage as he confronts the painful gap between his r…

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Relationships

Philip Dean
friendship · ambivalent
Gordon and Philip are old college friends, but their relationship is strained by Gordon's… How this plays out →
Edith Bradin
romantic · negative
Philip Dean
friendship · ambivalent
Gordon and Philip are old college friends, but their relationship is strained by Gordon's… How this plays out →
Edith Bradin
romantic · negative
Philip Dean
friendship · ambivalent
Gordon and Philip are old college friends, but their relationship is strained by Gordon's… How this plays out →
Edith Bradin
romantic · negative

Philip Dean
Gordon and Philip are old college friends, but their relationship is strained by Gordon's decline and financial desperation.
Edith Bradin
Edith is romantically involved with the troubled Gordon, but their relationship is marked by his self-destruction and her growing disillusionment.
Philip Dean
Gordon and Philip are old college friends, but their relationship is strained by Gordon's decline and financial desperation.
Edith Bradin
Edith is romantically involved with the troubled Gordon, but their relationship is marked by his self-destruction and her growing disillusionment.
Philip Dean
Gordon and Philip are old college friends, but their relationship is strained by Gordon's decline and financial desperation.
Edith Bradin
Edith is romantically involved with the troubled Gordon, but their relationship is marked by his self-destruction and her growing disillusionment.

Relationship notes

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See Gordon Sterrett in I

In the story

Gordon Sterrett appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I
Visits Philip Dean at the Biltmore Hotel, seeking a loan; appears ill, shabbily dressed, and morally and financially bankrupt.
II
Desperate for money, humiliated by Dean's refusal, and anxious about meeting Jewel Hudson.
IV
Edith's former love interest, now appearing thin, wan, and despondent, confessing his failures and mental struggles to Edith.
VII
Gordon is drunk and heavy-lurching, almost incoherent, as he comes downstairs to meet Jewel. He claims to be sick and unable to get money, and reluctantly agrees to leave with her.
IX
Drunk and disheveled, he is confronted by Philip Dean and later led away by Jewel.
XI
Awakens in a hotel room, realizes he is married to Jewel Hudson, and commits suicide.

Chapter companion notes

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