Harvey Character Analysis

When readers first meet Harvey, he is a rambunctious and heavy-drinking teen whose family is participating in the occupation of Alcatraz at the same time as Jacquie, Opal, and their mother, Vicky. Harvey and Jacquie flirt, but the interaction ends in an assault. Jacquie becomes pregnant with Harvey’s child, and gives the baby up for adoption—unbeknownst to them, the baby girl is adopted by white parents and grows up to adopt the Indian name Blue and work on the Big Oakland Powwow committee. Harvey is also Edwin Black’s birth father. After years of alcoholism, Harvey cleans up his act and gets sober. He reconnects with Jacquie at an AA meeting during a conference on substance abuse and suicide in Native communities out in Albuquerque, and the two of them travel to Oakland together for the powwow—which Harvey is emceeing. A gregarious and ultimately kind man, Harvey is wise enough to know that though he’s let people down throughout his life, there’s always a chance for redemption and reconnection.