The Great Santini | 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

Colonel Bull Meecham - This character drives the events of the story. As an "old school Marine," this character is a powerful, charismatic maverick who insists on running the family the same way the character runs his squadron, with complete authority. Throughout the novel, this character makes no attempt to grow as a human being. This character purposely limits experiences to people and surroundings that reinforce his base prejudices.

Lillian Meecham - This character is an abuse victim who often reveals anger at the situation by making frequent carping and catty comments about...
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