Characters

Gene Forrester —

Gene is the first-person narrator of the novel. He tells the story by way of retrospection as a young man of 30 who returns to Devon School, and recalls his formative days there. He focuses on and excels in academics, and becomes friends with his roommate and friend Finny, whose athleticism and physical acumen are targets of Gene’s admiration and envy.

Phineas, a.k.a. “Finny” —

Finny is the most popular boy in school and is gifted with the great athletic prowess, something Gene both admires and envies. Finny struggles with academics but has natural talents in areas of leadership. He is good-natured, kind, carefree, forgiving and a daredevil. He is the boy that gets away with anything and relishes his athletic abilities. When tragedy takes away what Gene considered to be his greatest gift, he does not allow himself to be consumed by anger or hate, and values friendship and trust over all else.

Brinker Hadley —

Brinker, a friend of Gene and Finny, becomes the leader after Finny’s accident that breaks his leg. Energetic and determined, Brinker pursues the idea of enlisting and gets the other boys excited about it, something Finny did not endorse. After the return of Leper, Brinker organizes the midnight trial to resolve the case of Finny’s accident and accuses Gene there. This trial also causes Finny to suffer a second accident, which would lead to his demise. Despite having little malintent, Brinker’s actions and need for order seemed to result in more harm than good.

Elwin “Leper” Lepellier —

A key member of the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, Leper is a friend of Gene and Finny who mainly keeps to himself. He is a boy of contradiction who, despite his peaceful tendencies, was the first boy in the class to enlist into the military to go to war. War takes its toll in Leper and pushes him to his breaking point. When Gene is put on trial by Brinker, he testifies that Finny’s accident was Gene’s doing.

Chet Douglass —

Chet is the head of the class. He takes academics seriously as he finds joy in learning. Unlike Gene, who sees his academic excellence as a competitive tool against Finny, who struggled with academics, Chet’s motivation in studying is his love of knowledge.

Mr. Prud’homme —

He is the kind Summer Session housemaster who is fond of Finny’s stories. He finds Finny’s stories youthful and alive. He is posited as the light and warm housemaster, much like the word “summer.”

Cliff Quackenbush —

He is a boy with plenty of internalized resentment and bitterness. When Gene shows up late for work at the Crew House, he attacks Gene as the tardiness is seen as an affront toward his position as a senior.

Mr. Ludsbury —

As the Winter Session housemaster, he falls under the other side of the spectrum of Mr. Prud’homme. He is certainly sterner than Mr. Prud’homme, and he retains a sense of arrogance about him. He wants and tries to get the boys to have a more realistic perspective on things around them, yet fails to understand that every person’s war is fought by themselves and each person’s war is different.

Dr. Stanpole —

He is the head doctor at Devon School and treats Finny after both his falls that break his legs. He comes off as a kind doctor and recognizes the friendship between Gene and Finny. He is the attending doctor under whose care Finny dies after the second injury.