The unnamed narrator is a scholarship student from a working-class family in Seattle attending a prestigious New England prep school. Driven by a fierce desire to become a successful writer, he assumes a literary persona that masks his insecurities and his family's grief. He possesses a strong competitive streak, focusing heavily on the school's prestigious visiting writer contests. He spends much of his time analyzing his peers' strengths and weaknesses, searching for his own authentic voice by imitating the styles of famous authors.

As a dean and literature master, Dean Makepeace is a highly respected campus figure. He carries an air of mystery, heavily bolstered by an unconfirmed rumor that he is a personal friend of Ernest Hemingway. He implements progressive policies at the school and projects a steady, authoritative presence to the student body. He maintains a quiet dignity that prevents students and faculty from questioning his past too closely.

Bill is a serious student whose writing strength lies in well-crafted imagery and exactitude. Though he shares a room and literary ambitions with the narrator, he keeps his personal identity and family background strictly private. He approaches his poetry with quiet intensity and evaluates others' work rigorously during editorial meetings. His tendency to withhold personal information creates a subtle distance between him and his peers.

George is a hardworking student proficient in traditional, formal verse. He manages the school's literary magazine with a steady sense of duty, though his own writing tends to be gentle and polite. He approaches his literary pursuits with earnest sincerity, hoping to honor the established authors he admires. His kindhearted nature sometimes puts him at a disadvantage in the fiercely competitive environment of the school's writing contests.

Mr. Ramsey is a youthful literature master from the United Kingdom. He embraces modern literary experimentation and questions the necessity of traditional poetic forms in front of the student body. He acts as a slightly more approachable faculty member to the boys, observing their intense literary ambitions closely. His modern sensibilities occasionally clash with the more traditional atmosphere of the prep school.

Coming from a wealthy family, Purcell is the most outspoken and harsh critic on the magazine's staff. He holds strong personal convictions, actively refusing to conform to the school's religious expectations by skipping daily chapel. His writing is characterized by its vivid, highly energetic style. He frequently expresses frustration with the constant presence of his relative on campus.

Frost is a decorated, aging poet who writes extensively about rural New England life. As the school's first visiting writer of the year, he commands immense respect from the faculty and students alike. He holds staunch opinions on the necessity of formal verse in poetry and defends his methods vigorously against modern critiques. He evaluates the student submissions with an eye that surprises the eager young writers.

Rand is a prominent author known for promoting rugged individualism in her fiction. Her selection as a visiting writer frustrates several faculty members who view her as a conservative ideologue rather than a literary stylist. In person, she is fiercely critical of human weakness and demands absolute strength from her characters and readers alike. Her abrasive personality sharply contrasts with the polite atmosphere of the prep school.

Hemingway is a highly admired author celebrated for his understated realism and focus on flawed, wounded characters. His impending visit creates a frenzy of competitive writing among the students, representing the ultimate literary validation for the boys. He stands as a symbol of rugged authenticity in the literary world. The campus community eagerly anticipates his arrival, viewing him as the pinnacle of modern literary achievement.

Susan is a young female writer from a nearby school. Her realistic, grounded story about class and social pressure deeply affects the narrator when he discovers it in an old magazine. Her work greatly contrasts with the male-dominated, highly stylized writing of the boys at the prep school. She writes with clear-eyed realism about social dynamics and pressures.

Big Jeff is the school's only vegetarian and a frequent source of annoyance for his cousin, Little Jeff. He writes eccentric science fiction stories and takes bold, sometimes misguided actions to show solidarity with his peers. He marches to the beat of his own drum, largely ignoring the intense social conventions of the school.

The headmaster leads the prep school during a period of social transition, trying to balance the institution's wealthy traditions with a desire to admit more scholarship students. He is protective of the school's reputation and relies heavily on wealthy alumni for funding. He manages the faculty with an eye toward maintaining the school's prestige.

Gershon is the school handyman who lives in the basement of a student dorm. As a Jewish Holocaust survivor, he carries profound trauma that clashes briefly but memorably with the narrator's ignorance during an accidental confrontation. He goes about his duties quietly but demands respect for his boundaries.

Grandjohn is the narrator's grandfather. He lives a quiet, domestic life in Baltimore, offering a stable and caring environment that the narrator initially dismisses as mundane before learning to appreciate its steady warmth. He provides a sharp contrast to the high-pressure environment of the prep school.

Patty is Grandjohn's wife. She assists in tending to the narrator when he contracts a severe case of the flu and walking pneumonia. She provides quiet, reliable compassion that challenges the narrator's harsh literary ideals regarding human weakness.

The narrator's father lives in Seattle and remains deeply consumed by grief following his wife's death. His persistent sorrow creates an emotional distance that pushes the narrator to seek validation and identity elsewhere. He struggles to relate to his son's academic life.

The narrator's mother died before his time at the prep school, leaving a profound void in his family. Her short life was consumed by standard domestic concerns, and her absence drives much of the sorrow in the narrator's household. Her memory heavily influences the narrator's emotional state.

Rain is a student from nearby Miss Cobb's Academy who knows the narrator from a joint school dance. She shares his temporary enthusiasm for Ayn Rand's literature and attempts to connect over their shared reading interests. She actively seeks out conversations about the books she admires.

Hartmut is an Austrian chef who employs the narrator as a dishwasher before the school year begins. He frequently whistles tunes that stick in the narrator's head. He unknowingly teaches the boy a problematic song that later causes a misunderstanding on campus.