Other characters

Tom Stenton

In the novel The Circle by Dave Eggers, Tom Stenton is the third “wise man” in charge of The Circle, alongside Ty Gospodinov and Eamon Bailey. In the painted portrait of him, he is “wearing an Italian suit and grinning like the wolf that ate Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother. His hair was dark, at the temples striped in grey, his eyes flat, unreadable.” (p. 23)

Whereas Ty Gospodinov and Eamon Bailey seem to live fairly modest or mysterious lives, Tom Stenton shows off how rich he is. He is:

unabashed about being wealthy, about being single and aggressive and possibly dangerous. He was a free-spending global titan in his early fifties who seemed stronger every year, who threw his money and influence around without fear. He was unafraid of presidents. He was not daunted by lawsuits from the European Union or threats from state-sponsored Chinese hackers. Nothing was worrisome, nothing was unattainable, nothing was beyond his pay grade. (p. 23)

Unlike Bailey, who seems to genuinely believe in the p...