The Santana March – (Publishing date unknown)

The Santana March is a novel that centers on the character of Jerry Frost, an individual who grows up in a “shallow, corrupt culture” (349) plagued by the “vicissitudes of capitalism and the sadistic exploitation of same by men and women who have sold their humanity to the highest bidder” (letter from Straka to Grahn). In an attempt to find some sort of redemption, Frost sets off on a journey through “dangerous mountain terrain” (349) despite receiving scorn, alienation, and physical injury from his friends and family. Interestingly, chapter 2 of Ship of Theseus, the escape scene, is largely based on the escape scene in The Santana March. The story concludes with Frost having found a form of redemption as a result of his “ostensibly pointless expedition” (349).

The Santana March is also one of the novels that Jen and Eric refer to the most throughout Ship of Theseus. This is due to the fact that it was Straka’s only novel to be adapted into a film, much to the chagrin of Straka himself. In 1928 Straka sent a letter to Herr Grahn, the creator of the motion picture, in which he berated Grahn’s efforts and stated that he would not endorse the production of such a film, which he felt was not doing his novel justice. As a result, Ship of Theseus was never adapted into a major motion picture, although rumor has it that a director in India made the attempt, but no one has come forward with evidence of a finished product.

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