Jordan Aarón Vargas Character Analysis in The Celebrants

Overview: The Man at the Center of the Pact's Promise

Jordan Aarón Vargas is the emotional and narrative anchor of Steven Rowley's The Celebrants. A veteran public relations executive born in Bogotá, Colombia, and raised in the United States from age eight, Jordan is a pact member whose cancer recurrence and eventual death at fifty-one drive the novel's central plot. His husband, Jordan Tosic (Jordy), releases the news of his death through the PR firm they ran together, and the obituary that closes the book reveals the breadth of his life: his work on Tony-winning productions, his service on the board of the Human Rights Campaign, and the unique pact he entered with four college classmates after the death of their friend Alec Swigert. Jordan's story is not merely a chronicle of illness; it is a study in how a person confronts mortality with humor, stubbornness, and a fierce desire for control.

Plot Role: The Catalyst for the Living Funeral

Jordan's recurrence of cancer—announced in the waiting room at Memorial Sloan Kettering—sets the novel's events in motion. He has been in remission for four years, ten months, and three days, just shy of the five-year mark that would have declared him cancer-free. This timing is cruelly ironic, and Jordan's reaction is not despair but a pragmatic acceptance. He tells Jordy he does not believe in an afterlife, yet pictures himself with a twenty-two-year-old Alec in heaven, a vision that underscores his longing for the past. His decision to trigger the pact—texting Naomi, Craig, Marielle, and Jordy from a bar at Joe Allen's—is the pivotal action that brings the friends together for his living funeral. The obituary in the final chapter confirms his death on a Friday, but the narrative focus is on the choices he makes in the months before, not the death itself.

Motivations and Traits: Control, Love, and Gallows Humor

Jordan's actions reveal a man who craves agency in the face of an uncontrollable disease. When he sorts through his belongings in Chapter 4, he tells Jordy, “I want to have some say in all of this.” This desire for control extends to his medical decisions: he announces he wants to discontinue treatment, not out of defeat but because he is “tired of being managed by people, treated like a child.” His humor is a coping mechanism—he jokes about a gong for people like him, gives Jordy a Ouija board as a birthday gift so they can “continue conversations” after he's gone, and quips about his family being “locusts” who will take everything. Beneath the wit is a deep love for Jordy. He makes specific requests: that Jordy keep swimming, stay in touch with his parents, and eventually settle down with someone new. These are not casual wishes but deliberate attempts to shape his husband's future, even as he resists being managed himself.

Chronological Arc: From Diagnosis to Death

Jordan's arc is compressed but emotionally dense. In Chapter 2, he receives the recurrence diagnosis and immediately begins to process his mortality, asking Jordy why Alec occupies such a large space in their lives. By May (Chapter 3), he is losing weight and always cold, and he reveals a desire to return to Bogotá—a place he has never visited as an adult, but which represents his origins. He gives Jordy the Ouija board, a gesture that both comforts and unsettles. In Chapter 4, he sorts through his closet, a task that feels premature to Jordy but is Jordan's way of exerting control. Chapter 5 shows a tender anniversary scene where Jordy gives him plane tickets to Bogotá, and Jordan confesses a long-held secret about having been with someone else when Jordy first arrived in New York—a confession that deepens their intimacy. The climax comes in Chapter 6, when a drunken argument at Joe Allen's leads Jordan to announce he is stopping treatment and, in a moment of hallucination where the bartender resembles Alec, he texts the pact members. The final chapter, an obituary, confirms his death and the legacy he leaves.

Relationships: The Bonds That Define Him

With Jordy: Jordan's marriage is the novel's emotional core. Their banter, shared history, and deep familiarity are evident in every scene. Yet their relationship is tested by Jordan's illness. Jordy wants to fight, while Jordan wants to accept. Their argument at Joe Allen's reveals a long-simmering tension over Jordy's name change—Jordy was originally Jordan too, and the couple changed his name to avoid confusion. Jordan's request that Jordy “fuck around” and then settle down is both a joke and a genuine wish for his husband's happiness.

With the Pact Members: Jordan is the one who activates the pact, but the evidence shows little direct interaction with Naomi, Craig, and Marielle. His obituary lists them as survivors, and his decision to text them indicates he trusts them to honor the pact's promise. His relationship with Alec, though Alec is dead, is symbolic: Alec represents the youthful self that Jordan imagines joining in an afterlife he claims not to believe in.

With His Parents: Jordan downplays the seriousness of his cancer to protect his elderly parents, Carmen and Miguel. He worries that the news might be terminal for them too. His desire to return to Bogotá is tied to his heritage—he reflects that the things his parents escaped (gun violence, political unrest) are now American, while marriage equality and socialized medicine are Colombian. This inversion highlights his complex feelings about home.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Discontinuing treatment: Jordan's announcement at Joe Allen's is a declaration of autonomy. The consequence is immediate conflict with Jordy, who challenges him to trigger the pact instead. This decision ultimately leads to the living funeral.
Triggering the pact: By texting the pact members, Jordan sets in motion the novel's central event. The consequence is that his friends gather to celebrate his life, fulfilling the pact's mission to leave nothing unsaid.
Wanting to go to Bogotá: Jordan's wish to return to his parents' homeland is a search for meaning. Jordy's gift of plane tickets shows he listens, but the trip is never taken—the narrative implies Jordan's health declines too quickly.
Giving away belongings: Jordan's attempt to distribute his belts and sweaters is an effort to control his legacy. Jordy resists, but the scene reveals Jordan's fear of being forgotten and his need to have a say in how he is remembered.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Jordan's story embodies several of the novel's central themes. His planned farewell through the pact directly connects to confronting mortality through planned farewells. His insistence on making his own medical choices reflects autonomy and control in the dying process. The pact itself is a form of chosen family as a support system through terminal illness. His longing for Bogotá ties to cultural heritage and the meaning of home. Finally, his request that Jordy tell loved ones their impact—echoed in his obituary's request for flowers—underscores the theme of leaving nothing unsaid. The Ouija board is a symbol of his desire to transcend death, even as he claims not to believe in an afterlife.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Jordan trigger the pact at Joe Allen's?

Jordan triggers the pact after a drunken argument with Jordy, during which Jordy challenges him to “call for your funeral” if he wants to stop treatment. Jordan, feeling unheard and wanting to prove he is not giving up, texts the pact members to initiate the living funeral.

2. What does Jordan's request to return to Bogotá reveal about his character?

It reveals a desire to connect with his cultural roots and to understand where his life began. He reflects on the inversion of social and political conditions between Colombia and the U.S., suggesting a nuanced view of home and heritage.

3. How does Jordan's humor function in the face of death?

Jordan uses humor as a coping mechanism and a way to assert control. Examples include the Ouija board gift, his joke about a gong, and his quip about his family being locusts. This humor allows him to address mortality without succumbing to despair.

4. What is the significance of Jordan's confession about seeing someone else when Jordy arrived?

The confession, made on their anniversary, deepens their intimacy by revealing a long-held secret. It shows Jordan's willingness to be vulnerable and his recognition that their relationship was not inevitable, but chosen.

5. How does Jordan's obituary reflect his values?

The obituary highlights his professional achievements, his membership in professional organizations, and his pact. Most notably, it asks that in lieu of flowers, people tell a loved one the positive impact they've had—a direct extension of the pact's mission to leave nothing unsaid.

For a deeper look at how Jordan's death shapes the novel's resolution, see the ending explained and questions and answers.