John serves as an archetypal male figure whom Atwood places into multiple narrative scenarios. Depending on the chosen plotline, he occupies different roles ranging from a comfortably married husband with a stimulating job to an older, dissatisfied man pursuing a much younger woman. His character embodies traditional gender dynamics and patriarchal attitudes within the story's various threads.

Mary operates as the archetypal female counterpart to John, navigating several different romantic and social scenarios. In some plotlines, she is a content wife and mother, while in others, she occupies the role of an undervalued lover desperate for affection. She frequently functions as a lens to examine societal expectations placed on women regarding marriage and happiness.

James is a younger man defined primarily by his material possessions, specifically his motorcycle and an impressive record collection. He exists as an idealized, free-spirited alternative to the domesticity of the other characters. His presence in the narrative introduces complications into Mary's life and highlights the superficial reasons people are drawn to one another.

Madge is a secondary female figure who is inserted into the plotlines as an alternative partner. She occupies spaces that Mary does not, sometimes acting as a rival or simply as a replacement figure in the narrative structure. Like the other characters, she is a deliberately thinly drawn archetype used to illustrate the mechanics of storytelling.

Fred is an agreeable, stable male figure introduced specifically to provide a continuation of domestic normality in the later plot variations. He and his partner share a quiet life by the beach. He functions as a stabilizing element when the more dramatic narrative threads burn out.