John D. Rockefeller and Scarsdale Vibe

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839. From a young age—approximately 12—he started working to earn money and saved the money that he made until he had a fare sum. It was at this time when he made his first loan to a neighbor farmer. This farmer borrowed the money from young Rockefeller with a 7% interest rate that had to be paid in full the following year. It was at this time that Rockefeller became fascinated with what money could do for him and how he could manipulate it.

When Rockefeller entered the work force at the age of 16, he quickly became an asset to his employer because he was useful in collecting overdue money and saving the company from losing too much money. He continued to flourish with his business transactions—including his own business that he started when he was 20—and became incredibly successful.

In 1863 Rockefeller saw an opportunity for turning his small businesses into a larger, more successful entrepreneurship—oil. It was found in 1859 that oil could be pumped from the ground like water and used for a variety of useful products. Rockefeller saw the usefulness of drilling for oil in Cleveland because of the nearby railroads as well as the waterways; he saw the opportunity for large expansion and demand of goods by the public. Rockefeller, however, did not simply just want to drill for oil and sell it, he wanted to run every aspect of the process of drilling, storing, refining, and shipping so as to create the least amount of waste possible at the best possible prices. He was a man who wanted to do a lot with little money so as to multiply his productivity and overall costs.

Rockefeller was in business with many, including his own family particularly his brother William. William was included in many of John D.’s business deals/plans and investments (later John’s son, John D. Jr., would also play a great part in the family business). However, as the corporation—Standard Oil as it would later be known as—grew, so did those involved with the management and owning of it. With 10 years, many stockholders, business partners and what the corporation did as a whole was kept a secret. This secrecy allowed for further development of the company without their needing to worry about the competition. Since the competition did not know what was happening and who was involved, they could not worry about their own spot in the economic world of oil. Rockefeller had people—investors, businessmen, and management—everywhere and wherever he turned he could find someone who was doing business with him. This secrecy would later be his demise of reputation that he would strive to reconcile for the rest of his life but would never fully recover.

By 1904 80% of the American people were served by Standard Oil either to businesses or homes. Standard Oil aimed to dominate every aspect related to the oil world, and so, it became highly disliked by the American public. It had very quickly turned into a monopoly.

With this monopoly and secrets came acts that were misunderstood and misinterpreted by the American public. While Rockefeller realized in the late 1890’s that he had done enough for the corporation, he was asked to stay on as simply the “primus inter pares” or the “first among his peers.” This meant that he did not dictate policy; he was simply there as someone the rest could look up to as somewhat of a big brother. This, however, was not publicly known and his official retirement was also not known. Therefore, the turn of Standard Oil and the rise of prices by John Archibold were credited to Rockefeller inaccurately. Rockefeller had no hand in the negative turn of the company but he would become the greatest oil and business villain of America and the time. His later good works and philanthropic deeds would not fully wipe clean the darkened taint of the villain.

Scarsdale Vibe and Rockefeller

It is important to note—before delving into the comparison of Scarsdale Vibe to John D. Rockefeller—that Scarsdale seems to be borrowed from the town of Scarsdale, New York. According to CNN Money, Scarsdale was third on the list of “top earning towns” in 2011 and makes it one of the wealthiest communities in the entire United States.

Scarsdale Vibe is portrayed by Thomas Pynchon to be the “most ruthless of the mine owners” in all of the novel/time and seems to have his hand in just about all business that is taking place. He—or one of his many relatives—seems to pop up in the most unlikely of all places, always shrouded in secrecy and disliked by the general public. This is, in some ways, similar to Rockefeller. Rockefeller also hand his hand in many venues—all facets dealing with oil; the University of Chicago; Rockefeller Sanitary Commission—and brought his family along to partake in the business—including his brother and his eldest son—to aid in the management and growth of the family fortune.

While John D. Rockefeller is not blatantly credited with any harmful actions—unlike Scarsdale who blatantly shoots a woman in the first 100 pages—he was seen as a villain who had his hand in far too many places. Scarsdale is similar in this way because he is generally disliked by the public and not trusted because of the power that comes with who he is and what he can do.

In both cases, money is power and this power has great repercussions. Although the public feared/disliked both men, there was little they could do because they were nowhere near the level of power of these men. Villains can always reign because of the power they secure and continue to maintain.