Alex: Try consulting the two collections of interviews (Conversations and More Conversations) to see what Percy said about Ellen's role in both novels. He's surprisingly dismissive -- but that may be a function of his response to feminist criticism of his novels, and his pride (justifiable in my opinion) in the character of Allie in The Second Coming. In the interviews you'll also see that he didn't exactly plan the sequels. I haven't read any of the biographies yet, but I'm sure they'd help you think about Percy and doubt.
One more point: Thanatos is such a depressing book. Dr More's religion certainly changes, too, no less than Ellen's.
-- Seth C. Holler, Ph.D. candidate Graduate Associate in Teaching
English Dept. The University of Arizona
Seth: thanks, i seem to have gotten so bogged down in their similarities that i failed to realize that distinction. How then do you interpret Ellen's religious change in Thanatos Syndrome?