Frank Frink and Wyndam-Matson

Frank Frink and Wyndam-Matson share a fraught employer-employee relationship that defines Frink's precarious position in the Pacific States of America. Wyndam-Matson, the owner of W-M Corporation, is a powerful but evasive figure, described by Frink as resembling "a Tenderloin bum, a wino, who has been given a bath, new clothes, a shave, haircut, shot of vitamins, and set out into the world with five dollars to find a new life." Despite his unassuming appearance, Wyndam-Matson controls a vast business empire, including the factory where Frink works as a skilled metalworker. Frink, a Jew who changed his name from Frank Fink, has spent fifteen years at the factory, specializing in forging pre-war American artifacts, particularly Civil War-era Colt revolvers. The relationship is one of dependency and resentment: Frink relies on Wyndam-Matson for his livelihood, while Wyndam-Matson exploits Frink's talent for producing convincing fakes that feed the Japanese collectors' market for Americana.

The Firing and Its Aftermath

The relationship ruptures when Frink, in a moment of defiance, "spouted the wrong kind of talk" to Wyndam-Matson, leading to his immediate dismissal. Frink, who had been with the company for years, is devastated, knowing that his skill is now useless and that he faces blacklisting. He reflects on his fifteen years of experience, which he feels is "gone." The firing forces Frink to confront his uncertain future, considering options like fleeing to the Rocky Mountain States or the South, but he rejects these because of his Jewish identity and his unwillingness to live under Nazi influence. Instead, he decides to seek reinstatement, hoping to appeal to Wyndam-Matson's sense of fairness, though he knows the old man is "weak, shifty, nervous, even ingratiating."

The Forgery Business and Its Moral Weight

Wyndam-Matson's factory, ostensibly an iron foundry producing wrought-iron staircases and railings, secretly operates a lucrative forgery business. Frink is one of the key artisans, crafting fake Colt .44 revolvers and other "historic" artifacts that are fed into the wholesale market. The forgeries are so well-made that even experts can be deceived, and the Japanese collectors, who lack proper standards, are easily fooled. Frink is acutely aware of the moral implications: he knows that the fakes undermine the value of genuine artifacts, and he fears the day when the bubble will burst. Yet he continues to work, shutting his mind to the ethical dilemma, focusing instead on the technical challenges. This complicity weighs on him, and his firing, ironically, frees him from this morally compromised work, though it also strips him of his livelihood.

The Blackmail Scheme and Its Consequences

After Frink is fired, he and Ed McCarthy, the shop foreman, decide to go into business together, making original contemporary jewelry. To finance their venture, they need money, and McCarthy suggests they get it from Wyndam-Matson. Frink, despite his reluctance, agrees to a scheme that involves blackmailing his former employer. The plan is set in motion when Robert Childan, a dealer who unknowingly sold one of Wyndam-Matson's forgeries, discovers the fake and traces it back to the factory. Wyndam-Matson, fearing exposure, receives a call from Ray Calvin, a wholesaler, who returns the entire last shipment, calling the items "lousy fakes." Wyndam-Matson, initially confused, suspects Frink and McCarthy are behind the trouble, and he considers his options: paying them off or using his connections to have Frink arrested and extradited to Germany, where he would face extermination as a Jew. In the end, he chooses to pay them two thousand dollars, a sum he considers part of his overhead, but he also plans to have the police investigate them, hoping to find something to use against them later.

The Payment and Its Aftermath

Frink and McCarthy receive the certified check for two thousand dollars, which allows them to set up their jewelry business, Edfrank Custom Jewelry. Frink, however, is troubled by the source of the money, feeling that they have "entered the world" and become like Wyndam-Matson. The payment, while enabling their new venture, also marks a moral compromise that haunts Frink. The relationship between Frink and Wyndam-Matson, however, does not end there. Frink's arrest for bunco, stemming from the fake admiral incident, is orchestrated by the authorities, and Wyndam-Matson's influence is felt when Frink is held for the German consul, who wants to try him under German law. Frink's release, which comes unexpectedly, is due to the intervention of Nobusuke Tagomi, who signs a release form, but the shadow of Wyndam-Matson's power and the threat of extradition loom over Frink throughout his ordeal.

Thematic Significance

The relationship between Frink and Wyndam-Matson encapsulates the novel's exploration of power, exploitation, and moral compromise in a totalitarian world. Wyndam-Matson represents the corrupting influence of capitalism and collaboration, while Frink embodies the struggle of the individual to maintain integrity in the face of overwhelming forces. Their dynamic also highlights the theme of historicity: Wyndam-Matson's forgery business thrives on the Japanese obsession with authentic American artifacts, yet the fakes are indistinguishable from the real, calling into question the very notion of authenticity. Frink's journey from forger to creator of original art, albeit one that is initially rejected, mirrors the novel's broader meditation on the possibility of renewal and the search for meaning in a world where the past is both commodified and falsified. Ultimately, the relationship between Frink and Wyndam-Matson is a microcosm of the larger power structures that govern the Pacific States, where survival often requires compromise, and where the line between victim and perpetrator is blurred.