Rosewater takes place in the 1960's in Rosewater County, Indiana. The plot of the book revolves around a large sum of money ($87,472,033.61) that is the core of The Rosewater Foundation. The Rosewater Foundation is a huge company, corporation that owns and runs all sorts of buisnesses from motels,breweries, banks, farms, coalmines, and bowling allies. The corporation has been handed down generation after generation to the closest living relative of the creator Senator Lister Ames Rosewater. All officers were for life, unless proven insane. The income is tremendous, nearly $10,000 a day. The most recent inheritor of this foundation is Eliot Rosewater. Eliot is quite an interesting character. Eliot is a compassionate human being, he has love for those who are poor and less fortunate. He devoted hisself to a poor town in Rosewater County to all the criminal, prostitutes, and dealers there. He uses a sum of the rosewater money for this county. Eliot is a little off the edge and is almost always drunk. He is obsessed with fire fighters as well. He is in the middle of a divorce with his wife Sylvia. Norman Mushari, a graduate of Cornell law School, works for a firm that had designed both the Foundation and Corporation. Norman decides that he will find a way for him to get his hands on these millions, by proving that Eliot is insane. So, Norman begins to investigate him. As this happens Eliot is basically throwing his life away, and the destiny of the foundation while his family and wife watch. His father and wife try to make him come back to this world and out of the small one he has made for himself. To the people of Rosewater he is a kind of saint. He gives out charity to them all constantly. Him and his father are constantly fighting about what Eliot has decided to do. Norman discovers letters and other things that begin to prove the fact that Eliot Rosewater is insane.Norman decides to find another relative to inherit the money instead of Eliot, and he will help them go to court to win the Rosewater fortune.
Dear Mr. Vonnegut, First and foremost, I do believe that God Bless You Mr. Rosewater is and always will be your finest masterpiece. Your use of symbolism and metaphor is awe aspiring. I could speak for hours on your strategic use of sarcasm and satire, also. I must say I enjoyed God Bless You Mr. ...
