Eliot is the novel’s protagonist. Born in 1918, he is the son of Senator Lister and the heir to the Rosewater fortune. He is 46 when the novel opens. He is kind, though “troubled,” and the question of his mental health and reliability is the novel’s primary theme.

Raised on the East Coast, where he attended preparatory school, Eliot left his studies at Harvard Law School in 1941 to serve in World War II. During the war, he rose to the rank of captain through distinguished acts of bravery in battle, but his military service affected him psychologically and emotionally. He was diagnosed with “combat fatigue,” an outdated term for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When the novel begins, Eliot has an alcohol addiction and a “nervous breakdown” (82), an outdated term used to describe a person’s sudden incapacitation due to the emotional, physical, and psychological effects of overwhelming stress.

Eliot is the president of the Rosewater Foundation. After conventionally managing the fund from 1947 to 1953, he decides to travel throughout the country, connecting with ordinary people. His choice to give away his fortune causes people to question his judgment and provides fuel for Mushari’s lawsuit.