Little is known about V. M. Straka the person. Throughout the book, Jen and Eric question who what his intentions were, who he was, and even if “he” was male or female. The one thing that they are fairly certain of, however, is that Straka was very politically involved. A staunch leftist, Straka was likely involved in many protests and activist groups. Eric compiled a note of all of the crimes that Straka was accused of, and the list is striking.

The first thing of note about the document is that it is written on a Pollard State University sheet of paper. Pollard State University, Eric’s former university, is a fictional institution said to be founded in 1914. The University’s crest, a coat of arms with antlers above it and the letters PSU on the middle, is watermarked on the front page, while the back page is blank.

Images of the of the note

Based on the effort that Eric puts into his analysis of “Ship of Theseus,” as well as the depth of thought he displays, it is likely that he is a very intelligent person. That means the fact that he attended a state university suggest either that he did not apply himself very rigorously to his studies (which would explain how he has time to study “Ship of Theseus” so thoroughly) or that his family is not very wealthy (which would make him more likely to identify with Straka’s populist agenda). Finally, the fact that Eric was expelled from the university shows that he was very rebellious and caused a lot of trouble.

The name “Pollard” could come from Jonathon Pollard, a former intelligence analyst for the United States. Pollard was arrested under charges of espionage and came under fire from many prominent conservatives, the most famous of which was Dick Cheney. Pollard’s views are likely similar to Straka’s, so this name may have been chosen purposefully.

Jonathon Pollard

Regarding the actual content of the letter, the most striking detail of it is the extent of it. Whether or not Straka actually committed all of the acts is unclear-the list simply mention what he was accused of-but it is long, including murders, assassination attempts, provocations, bombings, betrayal of military/state secrets, kidnapping, and libel/slander. The targets of these acts range from film producers to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and the British Royal Family. The only thing that links all of his actions is that all of his targets oppose his leftist agenda-they are often conservative governments or leaders or large companies that likely abused their workers.

The extent of Straka’s alleged actions demonstrates his dedication to his cause. If even a quarter of these accusations are true, it would mean that Straka repeatedly risked his life and the lives of others to further his political agenda. This sheds light on the nature of Straka the man (or woman).