# Peter Himmel — Short Fiction character guide

> Peter Himmel in Short Fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Peter, Pete

**First appearance:** 0029-the-camel-s-back

## Snapshot

Peter Himmel is a young man whose restless ambition and hunger for approval make him the perfect raw material for a political machine looking to mold a fresh face.

## Who they are

Peter has already tasted local notoriety and found it fading, and he sits in Mr. Fraser's office burning with the hope of being chosen. Fraser has watched him since a Fourth of July speech, waiting to see whether Peter would work or drift, and now offers him a State Senate seat. Peter's eagerness to be seen as solid rather than flashy is both his charm and his vulnerability, and it sets him on a path where his own desires and the party's plans may not align.

## In the story

### [Mr. Icky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/mr-icky)

A little boy with serious gray eyes, fascinated by Mr. Icky, who dreams of becoming a star and gives Mr. Icky a mothball.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/ii)

Junior escorting Edith Bradin to the dance.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iv)

Edith's date for the dance, with whom she has a strained interaction after his awkward attempt to embrace her.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/vi)

Drunk and sentimental, he cuts in on Edith and declares his love.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/ix)

Owlish and oratorical, he joins Dean in causing a disturbance and is thrown out.

### [Mr. In and Mr. Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/x)

One half of the duo 'Mr. In and Mr. Out'; he is hilariously drunk, wearing the 'In' sign, and engages in chaotic banter with Dean.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/peter_himmel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters