The Lover | 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

The Narrator - This character's favorite outfit includes gold lame shoes and a man's hat with a black ribbon.

The Lover - This character is a Chinese financier whose family is wealthy.

The Mother (Marie Legrand) - This character runs a French language school in French Indochina.

The Older Brother - This character has violent tendencies and gambles compulsively.

The Younger Brother (Paulo) - This usually unexceptional character has a brief affair with a married woman aboard an ocean liner.

Hélène Lagonelle (H.L.) - Schoolmate and confidant, this character seems immature and decidedly...
(read more)