Joe Cinnadella
Joe Cinnadella is a Swiss-born assassin who infiltrates the Rocky Mountain States under the guise of an Italian truck driver. He first appears in Canon City, Colorado, where he encounters Juliana Frink at a hamburger stand and manipulates her into driving him to a motel. Over the following days, he insinuates himself into her life, claiming to be a veteran of the North African campaign and displaying an Iron Cross Second Class medal dated June 10, 1945. His true identity and purpose remain hidden until the couple reaches Denver, where his behavior becomes increasingly erratic and controlling.
Identity and Background
Joe presents himself as a thirty-four-year-old Italian truck driver, but his story unravels under scrutiny. He claims to have fought at Cairo with the Brandenburgers, a Wehrmacht commando unit, and to have earned a battlefield citation as a corporal. He also mentions working for Organization Todt since 1947, helping design earthworks and earning praise from Doctor Todt himself. However, Juliana eventually realizes that his Italian accent is a disguise; he is actually Swiss, and his hair, which he dyes blond in Denver, suggests he has been concealing his true appearance all along. His suitcase contains a fountain pen that is actually a two-watt transmitter and receiver, used to maintain radio contact with his handlers in Berlin.
Life and Plot Trajectory
Joe's trajectory is defined by his mission to assassinate Hawthorne Abendsen, the author of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. He uses Juliana as bait, believing that Abendsen is attracted to dark, Mediterranean-type women. After shopping sprees in Denver, where he buys her an expensive Italian dress and has his own hair cut and dyed, he pressures her to accompany him to Cheyenne. When she resists, he threatens to kill her, revealing the violence beneath his charm. In the hotel room, Juliana, realizing his true nature, slashes his throat with a razor blade and flees, leaving him to bleed out on the floor.
Key Actions and Objectives
Joe's primary objective is to kill Abendsen, a task he pursues with cold calculation. He checks in with his superiors via the transmitter before the planned attack, and he carefully selects Juliana as his accomplice, even instructing her on how to dress and behave to gain entry to the High Castle. His actions are methodical: he buys new clothes, arranges for valet service, and plans to drive to Cheyenne after dinner. Yet his plan unravels when Juliana, armed with her judo training and a razor blade, turns on him. His final moments are marked by a desperate plea for medical help, which she ignores.
Relationships and Conflict
Joe's relationship with Juliana is built on deception and manipulation. He presents himself as a romantic figure, but his possessiveness and threats reveal a darker nature. He claims to have fought in North Africa, but his stories are inconsistent, and Juliana grows increasingly suspicious. Their conflict culminates in the hotel room, where she confronts him about his true identity. He admits to being Swiss and to working for the SD, but his confession comes too late. Juliana's act of self-defense is both a rejection of his control and a fulfillment of her own survival instinct.
Change and Ending
Joe's death is reported in a newspaper article that Juliana reads in Cheyenne, which describes the fatal slashing of her husband, Joe Cinnadella, at the President Garner Hotel. The article misidentifies her as his wife and notes that razor blades, supplied by the hotel, were used. Joe's plan to kill Abendsen fails, and his body is discovered by a hotel employee. His death marks the end of his mission and the beginning of Juliana's journey to warn Abendsen, a journey that ultimately leads her to confront the author with the truth about his book.
Narrative Role and Evaluation
Joe Cinnadella serves as a catalyst for Juliana's transformation. His presence forces her to confront her own fears and to act decisively, using the judo skills she learned in Seattle. He also embodies the threat of Nazi violence that pervades the novel, a reminder that the Reich's reach extends even into the supposedly safe Rocky Mountain States. His death, though violent, is a moment of liberation for Juliana, allowing her to pursue her own path and to deliver a warning to Abendsen. In this way, Joe is both a villain and a foil, whose actions inadvertently set in motion the novel's climactic revelation.
