A Canticle for Leibowitz | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Saint Isaac Edward Leibowitz - This blessed person is honored by the monks, who are pushing for his canonization by New Rome.

Benjamin Eleazar bar Joshua - This spindly old person, dressed in burlap, with a hat, staff, sandals, and water bag, is living as a hermit on a desolate arroyo and claims to be 3,209 years old.

Venerable Francis Gerard of Utah, AOL - A naive, 17-year-old novice at the outset of the novel, this character is intent on having a vocation in the Albertine Order of Leibowitz (AOL) and discovers a...
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