Wait for Me

The protagonist of the novel’s frame story, Marijohn Shaw is a young musician whose identity is initially defined by absence. Raised by her adoptive father, Abe, after being abandoned as an infant, her life is shaped by the void left by her unknown mother. This foundational loss instills in her a deep-seated ache for the impossible and a fear of being left behind, which complicates her relationship with her best friend, Lazarus. The broken mandolin, a tangible connection to her unknown past, becomes a symbol of her uncertain origins and the musical legacy she gradually discovers, as well as her primary tool for exploring her identity. Marijohn’s journey involves confronting the pain of abandonment and developing an artistic identity that does not depend on reconciliation with her biological mother.

Despite seeing herself as timid, Marijohn possesses a quiet but persistent courage. This is evident in her sharp-tongued defense of her father, her daring descent into the ravine after the meteor strike, and her ultimate journey to Nashville to confront her past. Her bravery is rooted in her loyalty to those she loves and her determination to uncover the truth about her origins, qualities that lead her to challenge figures like Elle Harlow and seek out her biological mother, Josie Starling. Although others, particularly Lazarus, recognize her courage, Marijohn struggles to acknowledge this strength in herself. Her willingness to confront difficult situations despite her insecurities reveals a determination that becomes increasingly important to her personal and artistic development.

Marijohn’s central conflict is her journey toward artistic confidence and independence. Initially, she is reluctant to perform publicly, hesitating to sing on the meteor video with Lazarus and freezing during her first open mic performance. The arrival of Elle Harlow serves as an important catalyst for her artistic development. As a mentor, Elle pushes Marijohn to embrace her pain and channel it into her music, encouraging her to draw on the feelings that leave her believing herself “unlovable, so ugly, so broken” (294). Through Elle’s guidance and her own experiences, Marijohn learns to transform her personal grief over her maternal abandonment into songs like “Hear Me Out,” developing from a hesitant performer into a musician prepared to pursue her career on her own terms.

As an important secondary character whose experiences contrast with Marijohn’s, Lazarus Wright is torn between external expectations and his own ambitions. Growing up as a preacher’s son, he feels stifled by the pious and predictable life laid out for him, creating a deep yearning for “something of your own” (20). Music becomes his primary outlet for independence and self-expression. However, his ambition is tempered by a fear of failure and a pragmatic nature. While Marijohn struggles to embrace her musical abilities, Lazarus initially pursues a professional music career, only to discover that success does not provide the independence or fulfillment he expected. His growing dissatisfaction with this career reveals how his understanding of independence changes as he begins to question what he wants for himself.

Lazarus’s experience with the music industry highlights the theme of Commercialization as Artistic Erosion. Though he possesses genuine talent and a love for songwriting, his record deal leads him toward a commercialized pop-country sound that feels inauthentic. The resulting single, “The Last Night of the World,” is a jaunty, heavily commercialized track that causes him deep dissatisfaction. His misery in Nashville stems from the loss of creative freedom and the companionship he once enjoyed while making music with Marijohn. Ultimately, he rejects this manufactured career, choosing to return to college and pursue his interest in accounting, a decision that reflects his growing confidence in determining his own future. He admits to Marijohn, “I never wanted any of that without you. I hate it, Marijohn. I’ve hated every single minute of it” (276-77).

Josie Starling serves as a significant antagonist in Elle’s story, with her actions shaped by a combination of ambition, privilege, and deep-seated grief. She represents the corrupting influence of the Nashville music industry, leveraging her social standing to secure opportunities and achieve commercial success. Her defining antagonistic act is stealing Elle’s deeply personal Merry album and repackaging its authentic pain into a more marketable, fabricated love story about a soldier at war. This act of artistic theft is a professional and personal betrayal that exploits Elle’s grief for commercial gain.

Josie’s antagonistic actions are complicated by her grief over the death of her twin sister, Jaclyn, and her decision to relinquish her daughter, Marijohn, shortly after her birth. Her wealth provides her with opportunity but not emotional resilience. When confronted by Elle, Josie’s defensiveness and acknowledgment of her loneliness reveal the emotional isolation underlying her public success. Although Josie possesses musical talent of her own, her appropriation of Elle’s songs demonstrates how her ambition leads her to exploit another woman’s experiences. Her grief adds complexity to her characterization without excusing the harm she causes Elle and Marijohn.

Arlo Weston functions as both a professional mentor and an antagonist, representing the commercial imperatives of the music industry. As the head of Weston Studios, he exercises considerable control over the careers of the artists he manages. He recognizes Elle’s immense talent but immediately seeks to commodify it, forcing her into the marketable “School Girl Crush” persona and later suppressing her comeback because her tragic legend is more profitable. He also perpetuates the deception surrounding Josie’s appropriation of the Merry album and plays a direct role in Marijohn’s abandonment when he leaves the infant in Elle’s car. His determination to preserve the studio’s success is reflected in his insistence that they must “protect what we built” (240).

Arlo’s actions are driven by a complex mix of financial interest and a skewed sense of loyalty. His family obligations complicate his professional decisions, particularly his involvement in the fabricated soldier narrative used to promote Josie’s music. His relationship with Elle is similarly transactional; he claims to care for her by ensuring her financial success, yet he repeatedly sacrifices her artistic integrity for profit. He rationalizes his unethical actions as necessary business decisions, using his position of authority to justify the exploitation and betrayal of those who trust him.

A luthier who becomes Elle’s romantic interest, Weston is a skilled craftsman whose dedication to making instruments contrasts with the commercial pressures surrounding Elle’s recording career. Living in seclusion, he approaches music through craftsmanship and personal expression. He initially appears as a romantic “outlaw” figure, a kindred spirit who understands Elle’s artistic soul and whose relationship with her influences the songs she writes for Wounds from a Lover. Their time together in the woods provides Elle with an opportunity for creative expression and emotional intimacy away from Nashville, although Weston’s concealed involvement in the music industry’s deceptions complicates this apparent refuge.

However, Weston is also defined by his past and what he calls a “series of irreversible decisions” (180). His loyalty to Arlo contributes to his involvement in the fabricated narrative with Josie, and his failure to disclose his role in the deception ultimately damages his relationship with Elle. His decision to take Merry’s mandolin without permission, while intended as a loving gesture to restore it for her, violates Elle’s trust and adds to her sense of betrayal. His character illustrates how his affection for Elle and commitment to his craft are complicated by the consequences of his earlier choices and his obligations to his family.

Abe Shaw serves as Marijohn’s loving adoptive father and introduces her to the music and legend of Elle Harlow. He runs a gas station filled with memorabilia devoted to the singer, whose mysterious disappearance has captured his imagination. Although his devotion occasionally clouds his judgment, particularly when he spends money on supposedly authentic relics, it also shapes Marijohn’s early relationship with music. Abe provides Marijohn with a secure and affectionate home despite the unanswered questions surrounding her abandonment. His support continues as she investigates her origins and develops her musical ambitions. By the novel’s conclusion, he sells his gas station and joins her in Nashville, showing that his commitment to Marijohn extends to supporting the independent future she has chosen.