The Crying of Lot 49 | 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

Oedipa Maas - The protagonist on a quest, a modern version of a character from a Greek myth.

Mucho Maas - This character is extremely sensitive to contemporary moral corruption and seeks authenticity in ineffective ways.

Pierce Inverarity - A former lover of the protagonist.

Dr. Hilarius - A psychiatrist who offers hallucinogenic drugs and makes calls in the middle of the night.

Roseman - A lawyer who is obsessed with the writing of a critique of the television lawyer, Perry Mason.

Metzger - A former childhood film star who later became a...
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