Meet the Core Characters of Divided We Stand

In Divided We Stand, the grand and sweeping story of a nation cleaving in two is told through the intimate lens of a single, multi-generational family. The political divisions, technological upheavals, and societal fractures that define this world are lived realities that test the bonds of love, loyalty, and identity. Understanding the four central figures whose personal journeys mirror the nation’s own—Emily, Jack, Colonel Thompson, and Ellen—is key to unlocking the story's heart.

Yet, while their interwoven stories drive the plot, the novel's vital truth unfolds through four generations of extraordinary women: Ellen, Emily, Janey, and Elle. Their lineage forms the narrative’s core, a testament to legacy, transformation, and endurance in a world determined to tear itself apart.

1. Emily: The Scientist and Bridge-Builder

1.1 Who is Emily?

Emily is a brilliant hydrogeologist and the novel's central protagonist, positioned at the ideological heart of the family's conflict. As the daughter of the staunchly conservative Colonel Thompson and wife of the Red-leaning engineer Jack, her progressive ideals make her the fulcrum upon which the story’s central tensions balance. Pregnant with her daughter, Janey, at the start of the narrative, she embodies the struggle to build a future of hope and unity in a world being pulled apart by division.

1.2 Core Beliefs and Worldview

Emily's actions are consistently guided by a clear and compassionate worldview, rooted in science, justice, and an unwavering belief in human connection.

Belief in Unity Over Division: Emily is deeply frustrated by the nation splitting into Red and Blue Republics. Her core motivation is to "bridge the gap," not just for the country but for her own family. The well-being of her unborn daughter, Janey, becomes the ultimate reason to fight for a world where her family can be whole, regardless of political borders.
Commitment to Social Justice: A firm believer in the ideals of the Blue Republic, Emily argues that true freedom means ensuring everyone has a chance. She believes laws should be designed to guarantee "dignity and equal protection—race, gender, religion."
Faith in Science and Progress: As a scientist, Emily approaches problems with a belief in data and innovation. Her turn toward creating technologies like the Truth-Chain is a direct response to the digital chaos and misinformation that tore her country apart, transforming her personal pain into a global solution. This drive also leads her to pioneer innovations in healthcare and, later, Memory Pharmacies.

1.3 Navigating the Divide: Key Relationships

Emily’s position as the family's ideological center places her in a complex web of relationships, each defined by a mix of deep love and profound conflict.

Relationship With

Nature of the Bond (Connection & Conflict)

Jack (Husband)

Connection: Deep love and a shared hope for their daughter's future, making them a "fragile bridge" between worlds. Conflict: His Red-leaning perspective clashes with her Blue ideals, creating a constant tension they must navigate.

Colonel Thompson (Father)

Connection: A foundation of family love and his protective instincts, especially demonstrated when he secures medicine for Janey's birth. Conflict: His rigid, Red Republic traditionalism stands in stark defiance to her progressive, Blue Republic worldview.

Ellen (Mother-in-law)

Connection: A shared belief in compassion and a desire for unity, creating a supportive and empathetic bond. Conflict: Minimal; their values are largely aligned, making their relationship a source of stability.

1.4 Emily's Journey of Transformation

Emily begins her journey as a scientist and expectant mother caught in the crossfire of the "Fracture." The birth of her daughter transforms her into a fierce protector, not just of her child but of the future itself. This drive fuels her pioneering work on technologies like the Truth-Chain and Memory Pharmacies, which are designed to heal the very fractures—in information, trust, and memory—that tore her world apart. Her journey culminates in her choice to become a digital being in the Kernal, ensuring her legacy of healing and bridge-building can continue for generations.

Her journey is inextricably linked with that of her husband, Jack, a man whose professional logic as an engineer is in constant, painful conflict with the fierce, less-logical loyalties of family and nation.

2. Jack: The Engineer Torn Between Worlds

2.1 Who is Jack?

Jack is a leading drone engineer whose logical, problem-solving mindset is perpetually challenged by the ideological chaos surrounding him. As the husband of the progressive Emily and the son of the fiercely liberal Ellen, Jack is positioned between the family’s two ideological poles. His journey is one of navigating his loyalty to the Red Republic's principles of tradition and order while reconciling them with his profound love for a family that challenges his worldview at every turn.

2.2 Core Beliefs and Worldview

Jack's perspective is shaped by his professional background, his personal history, and a deep-seated skepticism of ideological purity.

Value of Tradition and Stability: Jack aligns with the Red Republic's emphasis on tradition, authority, and social stability. He fears that the rapid, radical change championed by the Blue Republic threatens the foundational values he believes are necessary for a society to function.
Rebellion Against Ideological Purity: Jack’s conservatism is, in part, a reaction against the liberal household in which he was raised. This personal rebellion mirrors the Red Republic's own rebellion against what it perceives as Blue Republic overreach, making him inherently skeptical of ideological hypocrisy.
Pragmatism Over Ideology: As an engineer, Jack is grounded in logic and practical realities. This mindset allows him to become a pivotal logistics coordinator, focusing on tangible solutions to supply chain problems even as political chaos swirls around him. He values what works over what sounds good in theory.

2.3 Navigating the Divide: Key Relationships

Jack's relationships are defined by love, respect, and the constant friction of ideological disagreement.

Relationship With

Nature of the Bond (Connection & Conflict)

Emily (Wife)

Connection: A powerful love and shared commitment to their family that transcends their stark political differences. Conflict: His conservative beliefs and Red Republic loyalties create a fundamental ideological rift with his progressive wife.

Ellen (Mother)

Connection: A strong mother-son bond rooted in mutual love and respect; he revered her even when they disagreed. Conflict: Her fierce liberalism spurred his rebellious move toward conservatism, creating an intellectual and political divide between them.

Colonel Thompson (Father-in-law)

Connection: A shared conservative worldview and respect for order and strength. Conflict: Minimal; they are generally aligned politically, finding common ground easily.

2.4 Jack's Journey of Transformation

Jack starts the story firmly rooted in his Red-leaning perspective, often defending its principles against Emily and his mother. However, his love for Emily and the birth of their daughter, Janey, gradually shift his priorities. The abstract ideals of politics begin to pale in comparison to the concrete reality of his family's safety and unity. This evolution leads him to move with them to Paraguay, setting aside national loyalty for familial well-being. Ultimately, his transformation is completed when he joins Emily in the Kernal, choosing to become a digital consciousness to support and guide his family's legacy.

The man Jack finds common ground with, Colonel Thompson, is the patriarch whose unyielding beliefs create much of the family's central conflict.

3. Colonel Thompson: The Guardian of Tradition

3.1 Who is Colonel Thompson?

Colonel Thompson is a hardened, retired military man who embodies the traditional, red-state virtues of discipline, patriotism, and strength. As Emily's father and a pillar of the Red Republic's ideology, he serves as the family's conservative anchor. His worldview is forged in service and a deep-seated belief that order and strength are paramount, making him a formidable opponent in any ideological debate, especially with his daughter.

3.2 Core Beliefs and Worldview

The Colonel's worldview is straightforward and unyielding, built on a lifetime of military discipline and conservative principles.

Strength and Order as Survival: He is convinced that the Red Republic must be strong and that "softness invites collapse." For him, firm leadership, strict borders, and a powerful military are not just political preferences but necessities for national survival.
Defense of Traditional Values: The Colonel believes the country has lost its "backbone" due to radical ideas and moral decay. He sees the Red Republic as the last, best chance to defend the foundational values upon which he believes the nation was built.
Family as the Ultimate Priority: Beneath his rigid exterior is a deep, motivating love for his family. His desire to protect his granddaughter, Janey, becomes the catalyst for his transformation, proving that his commitment to family can ultimately override his political dogmas.

3.3 Navigating the Divide: Key Relationships

The Colonel's relationships are defined by his powerful convictions, which either create deep alliances or fierce conflicts.

Relationship With

Nature of the Bond (Connection & Conflict)

Emily (Daughter)

Connection: A deep-seated fatherly love, which overrides his political rigidity at critical moments (e.g., Janey's birth). Conflict: His staunch conservatism and patriotism clash directly with her progressive ideals, creating the primary ideological battleground in the family.

Ellen (Ideological Opposite, later Wife)

Connection: An unexpected love that blossoms in Paraguay after years of fierce debate, built on their shared devotion to family. Conflict: Initially, they are direct political adversaries, representing the core Red vs. Blue arguments of the entire novel.

Jack (Son-in-law)

Connection: A mutual understanding based on shared conservative principles and a respect for order. Conflict: Very little; their worldviews are closely aligned.

3.4 Colonel Thompson's Journey of Transformation

Of all the characters, Colonel Thompson undergoes the most significant and surprising change. He begins as an unyielding ideologue, seemingly incapable of compromise. However, the birth of his granddaughter Janey cracks his hardened exterior. In a letter written for Janey’s kindergarten graduation, he reveals the depth of his change, writing that defending family sometimes means needing to "lower shields and open doors." This pivotal moment begins his journey from prioritizing politics to prioritizing love, a transformation that culminates in his marriage to his former ideological rival, Ellen—the ultimate narrative symbol of his embrace of unity over division.

Colonel Thompson's journey toward unity is made possible by Ellen, his ideological counterpoint and the family's moral compass for compassion.

4. Ellen: The Voice of Hope and Humanity

4.1 Who is Ellen?

Ellen is a schoolteacher with a "liberal spirit," Jack's mother, and the family's quiet but fierce champion of education, progress, and empathy. In a world being torn apart by fear and anger, she remains a steadfast voice of reason and humanity. While others see enemies across the ideological divide, Ellen sees people, and her unwavering hope in dialogue and understanding makes her the family's moral anchor.

4.2 Core Beliefs and Worldview

Ellen's beliefs are rooted in her experience as an educator and her deep-seated humanism.

Empathy Over Fear: Ellen’s core belief is that "without empathy, fear turns to hatred." She sees strength built on fear not as true strength, but as a form of tyranny. Her perspective is always grounded in compassion and the desire to understand others.
The Power of Education: As a teacher, she has a profound conviction that understanding, dialogue, and learning from mistakes are the only ways to truly heal division. She champions education not just in the classroom but in every aspect of life.
Unwavering Hope in Unity: Ellen holds a persistent belief in the American ideal of unity, fearing that splitting the nation risks "losing the nation's soul." This hope for a connected future is later embodied by her granddaughter, Janey.

4.3 Navigating the Divide: Key Relationships

Ellen's relationships are a source of support and gentle challenge, as she encourages others to see beyond their rigid beliefs.

Relationship With

Nature of the Bond (Connection & Conflict)

Jack (Son)

Connection: A loving mother-son relationship rooted in mutual respect; a mother he revered even as he forged his own path. Conflict: Her deeply ingrained liberal values are the foundation against which Jack rebelled to form his conservative identity, creating a political divide.

Colonel Thompson (Ideological Opposite, later Husband)

Connection: A surprising and deep love that grows from mutual respect and a shared desire to protect their family, culminating in their marriage. Conflict: She is his direct ideological opposite, arguing passionately against his Red Republic principles from a place of compassion and liberalism.

Emily (Daughter-in-law)

Connection: A strong, supportive bond built on shared progressive values and a common hope for a more unified future. Conflict: None; she acts as a source of comfort and support for Emily.

4.4 Ellen's Journey of Transformation

Ellen's core beliefs remain consistent, but her journey reveals a transformation in focus. She begins by worrying about the soul of the nation, but as the conflict deepens, she directs that energy toward healing her own fractured family. Her transformation is not one of changing ideals, but of realizing those ideals through action. By putting her family first and finding love with her ideological opposite, Colonel Thompson, she proves her own central belief: that bridges can be built across even the deepest divides.

5. A Family United: The Heart of the Story

Together, these four characters illustrate the novel's central theme: that even when a nation stands divided, the bonds of family—forged through love, sacrifice, and the hope for the next generation—can endure and create a path toward healing. Their journeys reveal that the most profound ideological divides can be bridged by a shared commitment to the future. This message is powerfully embodied in the novel's matriarchal lineage. It begins with Ellen’s steadfast hope, is carried forward by Emily’s innovative drive to mend a broken world, is symbolized by the birth of their unifying child Janey, and ultimately extends to the cosmic journey of their descendant, Elle. This thread of resilience demonstrates that a family, and perhaps a world, can find a new kind of unity, proving that the most powerful stand one can take is for each other.