I Cheerfully Refuse

Rainy’s love interest and wife, Lark is in some ways a foil to him. Their relationship is defined by the differences between them and the love they draw from each other. Whereas Rainy may be rougher and less forgiving, Lark is filled with kindness and constantly seeks to spread joy despite others’ actions. This is apparent in others’ reactions to Lark in comparison to Rainy. Lark has a way of connecting with people, making them more comfortable and willing to speak with her, like Kellan: “His reserve didn’t surprise me, nor the fact he’d been more forthcoming with Lark the previous day. Knots untied themselves at her approach” (13). Rainy describes Lark in this instance as someone for whom knots untie themselves. Kellan is wary of Rainy and not as willing to speak to him when he first arrives. However, Rainy knows that Kellan spoke extensively with Lark because of how much she told him about Kellan. The easiness with which Lark approaches others is something Rainy can’t achieve with his big frame. He’s often compared to a bear and doesn’t connect with others as easily as Lark does. She clearly wants everyone to have the best life they can, which draws others to her.

One of the biggest distinctions between Lark and Rainy is how they approach people who hurt them. While Rainy struggles to overcome a sense of needing revenge in the aftermath of Lark’s death, Lark once easily forgave a boy who attempted to bomb her bookshop. Rainy couldn’t understand her steadfast support of the boy, named William (whose nickname was Beef): “[S]he wrote William a kind letter. […] He sent back an infantile drawing of a raised middle finger. She wrote to the court requesting leniency. When Beef got eight years I was relieved, but Lark was only sorrowful” (112). William attempted to murder Lark, yet Lark advocated for him, seeing what was lacking in his life that led him to that moment, while Rainy merely held ill will toward him. Rainy replicates this view later when he takes revenge on Lark’s killer, Skint. Though Lark is a static character, only present in the novel for a short time, her influence is significant, and her attitude toward others helps guide Rainy through his grief.

A young girl who Rainy meets on his journey, Sol stows away on his boat and becomes his sidekick of sorts as they sail. Rainy essentially adopts her. He tries his best to protect her and deliver her to a better situation than the one he finds her in. When Rainy finds Sol, she’s practically owned by King Richard and is uneducated, indoctrinated, and abused. She’s fearful of King Richard and his many lies about the world, and it takes time for Rainy to show her that the world around her is better than she believes. He tries to do so primarily through literacy, and though Sol likes listening to Rainy read, she’s very wary of writing: “Still she wouldn’t take the pencil. At one point she touched it only to yank her hand away. It was plain she felt some shifty wizardry was at work. Her face turned small and distant and she said, ‘It isn’t for me’” (232). Sol is afraid of writing, and though Rainy teaches her how to spell her name, she refuses to write it on paper. Her rejection of the paper and pencil demonstrates a fear of the unknown, which is at odds with her often fearless attitude. She doesn’t see a need to write, unsure of who she is or where she’s going, and ignores Rainy’s lessons.

Sol is a dynamic character, though, and by the end of I Cheerfully Refuse, she’s a different girl. Through Rainy, Sol finds a better home in Jolie and enjoys his protection and the security he provides, both of which she never experienced before. A result of Sol’s relationship with Rainy is that she becomes more confident in herself and her identity, not constantly put down and abused like she was with King Richard. Her newfound independence is valuable to her, and when they’re on the medicine ship, Posterity, and her jailor threatens to take her name away, she swallows her fear of writing to preserve herself: “I was scared to forget my name. What if they called me something dumb? But I remembered the letters […] That night I wrote my name real tiny on the wall by the bed, so I would see it every day” (316-17). Sol is much more confident in herself and her identity by the time she’s on Posterity, and her willingness to write her name, even if it’s barely visible, demonstrates significant growth. She wants to preserve what Rainy taught her and keep her name, not wanting others to once again define and control her. She carries this resolve with her to Jolie, where she begins a new life with Girard, Evelyn, and Rainy.

The primary antagonist of I Cheerfully Refuse, Werryck is responsible for the events leading to Lark’s death. Werryck is a formidable foe whose reputation precedes him. As Rainy sails in search of the Slate Islands, he also sails to escape Werryck, whose pursuit of Rainy is unforgiving. Even before Rainy meets Werryck, he hears of his terrifying abilities from Kellan: “You’re strong and big? Doesn’t matter. Listen to me. When you see him standing in your kitchen, you slip out the back. Be quiet, be quick. Don’t hunt for your wallet. Don’t grab a coat. Go out the window if you have to” (34). Kellan’s suggestion that Werryck will prevail, even against someone like Rainy who is bigger and stronger, foreshadows the sheer terror Werryck instills in others, including Rainy, despite not appearing as an imposing threat. Werryck in many ways represents the threat of the astronauts and the rampant wealth and resource imbalance. He works for an astronaut, and given the financial backing of the astronaut, Werryck’s antagonistic and villainous ways enjoy unchecked power.

Rainy learns of Werryck’s ways firsthand, first through the destruction of his home and Lark’s murder and then during his time on Posterity. For much of the novel, Werryck remains hidden, lurking in the background, his presence and pursuit a shadow for Rainy. When Rainy is finally captured, though, he confronts Werryck face-to-face and, in doing so, briefly believes that he can physically overpower him and either gain his freedom or at least find revenge for Lark. Rainy’s hopes crumble, though, when he looks into Werryck’s eyes: “I stopped where I was. My words went missing. My boldness was extinguished. I wanted to vanish—to fade from his sight and if possible from his memory” (254-55). The look that Werryck gives Rainy is enough to freeze him in place, demonstrating Werryck’s power. He represents the greater influence and ability of the ruling class he works for. It isn’t his size or appearance that strikes terror but rather the gaze of someone who can and will do nearly anything to achieve his goals and those of his superiors.

A squelette, or fleeing laborer, Kellan stays with Rainy and Lark as a bridge to stability after escaping an oppressive situation. Kellan’s arrival in Icebridge kickstarts the novel’s events. He’s present at the beginning and end of the novel, and in those two instances, Rainy meets two different versions of Kellan. At the beginning of the novel, Kellan is insecure, wary, and on the run. Rainy grows fond of him, wanting to protect and support him: “I began to understand what was familiar about Kellan. He had a kid-brother quality. You wanted to take care of him. He didn’t talk about his hand but wasn’t self-conscious about it either. It wasn’t really a hand anymore” (17). Kellan’s burned hand is a direct result of compliance drug trials and Werryck’s work with them. His theft of Willow and flight from Werryck put him on edge and make Kellan feel unsafe. Rainy recognizes this in him, though he doesn’t immediately understand why Kellan feels like this. Rainy doesn’t want Kellan to feel insecure about his hand; he wants to help Kellan gain a sense of security and have some direction, since Kellan, while he stays, seems lost and not ready to move on.

Kellan proves a dynamic character, and when Rainy once again meets him, this time aboard Posterity, Rainy meets a more confident boy who has a community around him. Kellan has bonded with the other 11 squelettes from his second flight and finds support and purpose in them. In the aftermath of the mutiny, when Rainy offers Kellan a spot on Flowers, he refuses, much more sure of himself in this moment than when Rainy met him: “[I]t was plain he would turn me down. He was shy about it and glad to be asked, but Kellan liked where he was—[…] on a boatload of exiles, with people he trusted who trusted him […] Kellan was in the story he wanted” (311). Kellan is on a path that he has faith in and has a purpose for the first time. When he came to Icebridge initially, he was lost and a fugitive, with no network or true purpose. Now, with people around him who revere and respect him, he feels like he knows what to do next. He finally feels as though he fits in, and Rainy respects that.

A secondary antagonist in the novel, Papa Griff is a foil to Rainy in the role of Sol’s guardian. Whereas Rainy thinks constantly of Sol aboard Posterity and works to free her and protect her, Griff uses his relationship as Sol’s legal guardian to advance his own interests. He signs her up for compliance drug trials, not caring about the adverse effects on her. He’s always trying to better his status in the world, leading him to side with Werryck even when Rainy offers him safe passage aboard Flowers to escape imprisonment on Posterity: “And Griff said no. He practically snorted. Said we would die on that tiny boat. Maybe he was auditioning to be the new Skint. I didn’t like his chances” (312). Believing that he may benefit more from loyalty to Werryck, Griff decides to stay to impress Werryck, abandoning Sol for selfish reasons.

One of Werryck’s hired men, Tom Skint is Lark’s murderer. As a secondary antagonist, Skint’s presence in the novel is minimal, though his actions are severe and consequential. Even though Werryck never instructs him to kill Lark, he does, and as punishment, Werryck cuts off a few of his fingers. Rainy doesn’t consider this punishment sufficient and seeks his own revenge against Skint. Their mutual hatred for each other is apparent on Posterity: “Even as he spoke to Werryck his eyes remained on me. Dumb wrath is what I saw there and no doubt what he saw in mine” (273). Rainy and Skint’s hatred for each other is palpable and results in Rainy’s killing Skint at the first opportunity. Only after satisfying his need for revenge against Skint can Rainy fully heal.

A kind doctor in Jolie whom Rainy meets during his travels, Girard is in some ways a role model for Rainy. Like Rainy, Girard experienced an immense personal loss: His daughter died of an illness years ago, and because he’s a doctor, her loss to disease makes the pain worse. Girard is respected in the community, however, and Evelyn, his wife, explains to Rainy how this helps Girard overcome his pain: “‘He can be furious, but he isn’t angry. People call me after their check-ups, worried about him. They don’t even want to tell him their symptoms. He’s always felt protective of them, and now it’s come back the other way’” (151). Girard has a community around him that cares for him because he cares for them. It’s the kind of community and atmosphere that Rainy needs and is the reason he returns to Jolie to settle at the novel’s end. Girard is a testament to Rainy of healing from grief and striving for a better future.

A friend of Lark and Rainy’s, Labrino represents the despondency so many experience because of the dystopian world around them. Labrino is depressed, often saddened by his absent, indebted son and his missing daughter. He’s alone and sees no future for himself or the world. When he decides to take Willow, it’s because he hopes for something better: “We had talked many nights […] He felt confusion coming. The world […] was running out of everything, especially future. Labrino had read about those Green Bay kids. Maybe it was time to go in search of better” (61-62). Labrino’s concerns about the future ultimately lead him to take Willow, but his role in the novel is also to serve as an example to Rainy of what happens when despair and grief become overpowering. Labrino highlights the need for Rainy to find a future and a reason to keep walking forward. Rainy struggles through his grief over Lark’s death to find this future, and successfully does with Sol in Jolie.

Another of the novel’s many secondary antagonists, King Richard is the first one that Rainy meets. King Richard essentially owns Sol and abuses her frequently, creating a toxic environment for the girl and fostering a rebellious attitude in her. It’s one of the first times that Rainy truly sees a power imbalance outside his own town, and he can’t let it pass, trading his guitar for Sol’s freedom. Rainy thinks of Richard’s villainy and considers his role in combatting that evil where he finds it: “That was me watching Richard’s eyes turn icy with approval […] Sometimes the devil you know is bad enough to chance the one you don’t” (179). Rainy understands that Sol is willing to risk going with him, despite not knowing him, because Richard treats her so poorly. Richard represents the desperation and abuse created by the breaking down of social norms and society as the world crumbles. With no one to check him, his abuse runs rampant, unchallenged. He can’t exist in a community like Icebridge, which creates a shock for Rainy when he meets him because he realizes how protected Icebridge is.

Though Tonio’s role in the novel is minimal, he foreshadows Sol’s appearance and role in Rainy’s life. Like Sol, Tonio is a young kid drawn to Rainy who seeks protection from those abusing him (in his case, his classmates). When Rainy tries to protect him and realizes he likely can’t, he must acknowledge his own limitations: “It’s taken all my life to learn protection is the promise you can’t make. It sounds absolute, and you mean it and believe it, but that vow is provisional and makeshift and no god ever lived who could keep it half the time” (39). Rainy realizes that he can’t guarantee protection because he can’t always be there for Tonio and can’t always succeed in defending him. These same worries return with Sol’s arrival in the novel, even though Rainy tries desperately to protect her.