Character Relationship Map: Mirage

Characters

• David Stillwell (played by Gregory Peck) — protagonist

  The amnesiac protagonist initially posing as a corporate cost accountant who discovers his true identity as a physio-chemist. He suffers memory loss after accidentally causing the death of his mentor,...

• Shela (played by Diane Baker) — protagonist

  An attractive young woman who initially recognizes David but claims he does not remember her. She reveals a past romantic relationship with him, works for the Major as his girlfriend, and ultimately h...

• Ted Caselle (played by Walter Matthau) — supporting

  A novice private detective hired by David to investigate his amnesia and missing briefcase. He initially doubts David but becomes convinced after witnessing Willard tailing them. He investigates David...

• Dr. Broden (played by Robert H. Harris) — supporting

  A psychiatrist whom David consults about his sudden memory loss. Initially dismissive of the two-year amnesia claim, he later assists David in deducing that the amnesia is only two days old, with fals...

• Sylvester Josephson (played by Kevin McCarthy) — supporting

  A scientist who runs a private research facility in a sub-basement lab where David supposedly worked for two years. He is present at the Major's headquarters during the climax, where David convinces h...

• The Major (played by Leif Erickson) — supporting

  The primary antagonist who secretly seeks to hijack David's nuclear formula to make atomic weapons more commercially viable. He orchestrates David's abduction and manipulation, employs Willard as an e...

• Joe Turtle (played by Neil Fitzgerald) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• The Major → Sylvester Josephson (Power Coercive Superior)

  Josephson is present at the Major's headquarters, and David warns him that the Major will not allow him to live because he knows too much.

• Shela → The Major (Romantic Girlfriend)

  David discovers that Shela is the Major's girlfriend.

• David Stillwell → Sylvester Josephson (Professional Former Supervisor And Scientist)

  David remembers working for two years at a private research facility in a sub-basement laboratory under Sylvester Josephson.

• David Stillwell → Ted Caselle (Professional Client And Detective)

  David hires Ted Caselle, a novice private detective, to investigate his amnesia and the unexplained changes in his apartment and office.

• David Stillwell → Shela (Romantic Former Lovers)

  Shela tells David that they previously had a relationship. They spend the night together before she disappears.

• David Stillwell → Dr. Broden (Professional Patient And Psychiatrist)

  David consults Dr. Broden about his memory loss, and later returns to him to analyze the timing and nature of the amnesia.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• David Stillwell → Joe Turtle (Social Known Resident And Concierge)

  Shela says that Joe Turtle, the concierge at David's building, knows David; David goes with her to see him.

• Sylvester Josephson → Shela (Alliance Uneasy Associates)

  Josephson and Shela are both present at the Major's headquarters, where Josephson grabs Shela's gun before the situation changes.

• David Stillwell → The Major (Conflict Principal Adversaries)

  The Major seeks to obtain David's radiation-neutralizing formula and has him threatened and forced to recreate it.

Story Analysis

An amnesiac scientist reconstructs his identity while resisting the militarization of his discovery.

Plot Progression

1. A Stranger in His Own Life
2. Evidence That Keeps Changing
3. Love, Violence, and Lost Memory
4. The Scientist Behind the Mask
5. The Formula at Gunpoint