The speaker is an African American man who endures racial segregation, symbolized by being sent to the kitchen during meals. He faces this exclusion not with despair, but with resilient optimism and a hearty appetite. He uses his time out of sight to eat well and build his physical strength. He possesses a deep conviction that he belongs at the main table and represents the true spirit of the country.

The unnamed people who control the dinner table, representing white American society and historical slave owners or employers. They refuse to let the speaker dine with them, motivated by an unwarranted shame regarding his presence. They believe they hold complete power over the household, but their dominance relies on superficial social rules rather than natural law.

Unnamed guests who visit the oppressors' home to share food at the main table. Their arrival functions as the direct cause for the speaker's banishment to the kitchen. They represent the broader, exclusive society that enjoys the privileges of the main table while remaining disconnected from the labor and people hidden behind the scenes.