Mr. Frankel

Mr. Frankel, the proprietor of Frankel's Jewelry Store & Camera Shop in Placerville, Maine, appears only briefly during the hostage crisis at Placerville High School, yet his cameo crystallizes the small-town social hierarchies and economic resentments that simmer beneath the surface of the novel. He is not a hostage or a negotiator but a spectator drawn to the scene by the commotion, and his interaction with the police reveals the entanglement of local commerce, politics, and personal influence that shapes life in Placerville.

Identity and Background

Mr. Frankel is introduced as the owner of the town's jewelry and camera store, a business that places him among the established merchants of Placerville. He drives a new Pontiac Firebird, a detail that signals a degree of prosperity and status. His role extends beyond commerce: he is also Placerville's second selectman, a local political office that gives him a voice in town governance. This dual identity as businessman and politician positions him as a figure of authority and connection, someone who can expect to be heard by the police. When he arrives at the school, he "jawed for quite a while with Jerry Kesserling," the local police chief, and "wasn't having any of it" when Kesserling tried to dismiss him. The narrator notes that Mr. Frankel is "a crony of Norman Jones, Ted's father," linking him directly to the most prominent family among the hostages' parents. This association places Mr. Frankel squarely within the town's establishment, a network of men who wield influence through business, politics, and personal relationships.

Reputation and Perception

Among the students, Mr. Frankel's reputation is less flattering. Sarah Pasterne remarks that a ring her mother bought at his store "greened my finger the first day," implying poor quality or dishonest dealing. Tanis Gannon adds, "My mother says he's a gyp." These casual accusations, exchanged in the tense atmosphere of Room 16, reflect a broader distrust of the merchant class among the town's families. The students' willingness to voice such criticisms, even while held hostage, suggests that Mr. Frankel's standing in the adult world does not translate to respect among the younger generation. The narrator's own observation—that the broken window glass outside the school shone "brighter gems than any in Mr. Frankel's store"—further undercuts his commercial pretensions, contrasting the genuine, dangerous beauty of shattered glass with the tawdry merchandise of his shop.

Narrative Significance

Mr. Frankel's role in the novel is that of a social marker. His presence at the crisis scene, his easy access to the police chief, and his connection to Ted Jones's father all illustrate the closed network of power that governs Placerville. He represents the adult world of commerce and politics that Charlie Decker has rejected and that Ted Jones is expected to inherit. The students' dismissive comments about his store, however, hint at a generational disillusionment with that world. Mr. Frankel himself never enters Room 16 or speaks to Charlie; he remains an outsider, a figure of the established order that the hostage crisis has temporarily disrupted. His brief appearance serves to remind the reader that the events in the classroom are not isolated but are embedded in a community with its own hierarchies, grievances, and hypocrisies.