Elroy Berdahl Spelled Backwards Is Lhadreb Yorle, Does That Make This Book More Interesting?

"He was the true audience. He was a witness, like God, or like the gods, who look on in absolute silence as we live our lives, as we make our choices or fail to make them." -- Page 57

Ok, so I backtracked a little bit.  Shoot me.  In truth, I just couldn't pass up this wonderful opportunity to point out a literary term in use.  I mentioned in my earlier post an eighty-one year old (his name is Elroy Berdahl), and after my initial temper flare geared towards Tim cooled down, I realized that Elroy is the perfect example of a static character.  His personality (at least the part of it we see) fails to change significantly during the story, and he really only serves as a complement to Tim's inner conflict.  During the boat scene I kind of interpreted his duty as a Virgil of sorts, a guy who's 'just there' to ferry Dante (Tim) from one world to the next and guide him through the danger he currently faces.  Which reminds me, I need to buy Dante's Inferno for my 360.  I knew classic literature had it's modern uses!