Mr. M/Jim McAllister

A teacher of history and social studies at Winwood High School, Mr. M. is a popular and engaging person. He is one of the three main characters in the novel. He appears at first as a morally-absolute character, telling the reader he prefers to play devil's advocate in order to get his students to think for themselves, or to get them interested in anything at all. As time goes on, readers discover that little actually separates Mr. M. from the students around him. He is self-serving and conniving, seeking to put Tracy Flick in her place, going all the way to rigging the election; and he cheats on his wife with a woman (Sherry Dexter) whose husband has cheated on her. His morality is further called into question by goading Paul Warren into running against Tracy Flick, and when he refusing to cease his friendship...