The Son

Peter McCullough is one of the three main protagonists in The Son and a candidate for the novel’s namesake. Though Peter is the younger of Eli’s sons, he stands to inherit the ranch his father built after Peter’s older brother, Phineas, enters a lucrative career in infrastructure and becomes head of the Railroad Commission during Jeannie’s youth. Peter’s sentimental behavior is his key character trait, which puts him at odds with his cold and unsympathetic father. The conflict defines Peter’s storyline, which illustrates The Tension Between Hard and Soft Natures.

Peter initially thinks that his sentimentality and capacity for self-reflection are character flaws, which is a byproduct of his upbringing in the McCullough household. He consequently identifies Pedro Garcia as a surrogate father figure, since they are closer in character than Peter and Eli will ever be. Unbeknownst to Peter, Eli bears some affection for him due to his resemblance to Eli’s older brother, Martin, who was bookish and sentimental as well. Since Eli is afraid of committing to a family, having lost so many families in the past, he has a difficult time navigating Peter’s soft nature, which Peter interprets as hostility. In his earliest chapter, he introduces himself as Eli’s “worst son.” In the aftermath of the Garcia massacre, Peter succumbs to the notion that his traits are flaws because he cannot convince anyone to agree with his evaluation of recent events.

Peter develops through his relationship with María. Because the McCulloughs strongly oppose María’s presence on the ranch, Peter is challenged to assert his right to shelter her and pursue a romantic relationship with her. The turning point that demonstrates Peter’s growth as a character is his decision to follow María to Mexico after his family has sent her away. He chooses to abandon his lifelong access to wealth in favor of a life where his sentimentality is loved and valued. Peter and María talk constantly about how they will raise their children, which points to Peter’s desire to impart his character traits to succeeding generations. More than a legacy of wealth, this represents Peter’s final victory over Eli.

Jeannie McCullough is the great-granddaughter of Eli and the last of the novel’s three main protagonists. Her conflict is rooted in her identity as a woman who tries to fit into an industry dominated by men. This forces her to embody the same ruthless survivalist qualities that define Eli, making her the true successor to his legacy.

Jeannie often feels lonely from an early age, because she is the only woman in her family. Because her mother died in childbirth, her closest female relative is her grandmother, Sally, Peter’s first wife. Growing up in the early part of the 20th century, Jeannie is made to fit into society’s expectations of women, which she staunchly refuses when she runs away from her Connecticut boarding school for affluent girls. When Jeannie is older, she is constantly undermined by her male colleagues in the industry. They see her husband, Hank, as a more valid representative for the oil business she runs, which introduces tensions into their relationship. Ultimately, Hank’s insistence causes her to take a backseat in corporate affairs, leaving her to raise her children while Hank remains at work. When Hank dies, Jeannie makes an active decision to prioritize her work over her family, which proves to be a critical error.

Jeannie eventually realizes that she will never be accepted by a male-dominated industry, a feeling that is bolstered by her visit to the Middle East, which engages her moral conscience. She turns to family for solace, but by that point, her children have grown so distant from her that she can no longer exert any influence over them. This leaves her without a viable successor and intensifies her loneliness.

Crucially, Jeannie’s death results more from her impulse to exclude Ulises from the McCullough family, rather than any direct action Ulises takes against her. The impulse of exclusivity is something Jeannie inherits from Eli.