The Growth of Jubal Harshaw

This thread follows Harshaw from detached observer to advocate, adoptive father, and reluctant participant in the community he once treated as an intrusion.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Reluctant Host

Shelter Without Allegiance A practical decision Jubal Harshaw takes in Gillian Boardman and Smith despite his stated indifference to politics. He sees a medical and legal problem, not a cause he wants to join. Care becomes attachment He begins protecting Smith because the young man is a guest under his roof. The household’s joking intimacy softens Harshaw’s resistance before he admits that Smith matters to him.

The Public Negotiator

Defense Through Procedure Legal resistance Harshaw uses warrants, citizenship, and public visibility to delay armed officers. His knowledge of the law gives Smith time when physical force would be disastrous. A personal stake emerges He had once hoped to remain untouched by responsibility. His increasingly risky choices show that affection has made detachment impossible.

The Architect of Compromise

Strategy Over Principle A calculated bluff Harshaw uses diplomatic protocol to protect Smith’s position, then persuades him to entrust Douglas with his wealth. He wants the dangerous assets managed without making Smith a guardian’s prisoner. The cost of responsibility His maneuver works, but it binds him more tightly to a future he never wanted to manage. He acts from pragmatic care rather than belief in the legal fictions he deploys.

The Patron Against His Will

An Unwanted Symbol The community’s reverence Smith’s followers regard Harshaw as a source of their teaching. Their respect unsettles a man who has spent his life mocking religious authority. Intimacy changes his position Harshaw continues to question doctrine while allowing the community to treat him as family. He no longer stands entirely outside the experiment he once observed.

Joining the Nest

Belonging at Last A final invitation Dawn offers Harshaw water and fellowship. He refuses at first, citing age and self-respect, but affection and trust overcome his reluctance. A new way of living Harshaw accepts the community’s shared intimacy and later helps plan a homecoming and a memorial for Smith. His old independence survives, but it now exists inside a chosen family.

When Jill brings Smith to the Poconos

During the confrontation with the Special Service

At the summit and its aftermath

After the Church of All Worlds forms

After Smith’s death