GradeSaver, 8 July 2021 Web.Red Doc>, the latest verse-novel from Anne Carson's MacArthur genius grant-endorsed pen, trails so many tempting threads that it is a job to decide which to follow first. Next Section Glossary Previous Section The Autobiography of Red Summary Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format Brown, Hannah. He gives a lecture that Geryon attends on Pascal. He studies ataraxia, the philosophical suspension of judgment, and is interested in the erotics of doubt. 'Yellowbeard' is what Geyron calls an unnamed philosophy professor from Irvine, California who Geryon meets at Cafe Mitwelt in Buenos Aires. Lazer is a philosopher who Geryon meets briefly at dinner one evening in Buenos Aires, and with whom he talks about distance, and Lazer's daughter. She accompanies Geryon, Ancash, and Herakles on their road trip to the high Andes to see a volcano. She is a quiet Peruvian woman who lives on the rooftop of her employer’s house, and whose favorite place in the world is her makeshift greenhouse where she grows marijuana for selling and herbs for cooking. She accompanies Herakles and Geryon on a visit to the volcano she photographed. She lives with Herakles’ family in Hades and was a photographer whose photo of a volcano titled “Red Patience” Geryon finds both magnetizing and disturbing. He is a gentle soul, “a man as beautiful as a live feather,” and despite his and Geryon’s competition for Herakles’ affection, they sometimes share an unspoken kinship in the face of Herakles’ alienating brashness.

Geryon is still drawn to Herakles, but that love is mixed with wariness and hurt. When they reunite years later, Geryon learns that Herakles has a new lover. Herakles gently pushes Geryon away, saying that they will “always be friends,” and so breaking Geryon’s heart. While Geryon is introverted and insecure, Herakles is loudly extroverted, and Geryon loves him but doesn’t feel understood by him.

Herakles is Geryon’s first lover as a young man. Geryon adores her as a young child, but one she fails to protect him, he pulls away from her as a teenager.

Geryon’s mother is affectionate, but negligent in the ways that matter wrapped up in her own problems, she doesn’t protect Geryon from his brother’s abuse. He makes Geryon's home environment unbearable. Geryon’s older brother takes advantage of Geryon’s innocence and betrays his trust, sexually abusing Geryon as a child. This version of Geryon is a lonely, introspective boy who conceals his wings, fears his own monstrosity, and wants to be loved and understood. His character is inspired by the traditional Greek story of Geryon, a winged monster. The book spans his childhood through his early adulthood. Geryon is the protagonist, and a young boy when first introduced.

Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson