Miles Halter

Teenaged Miles is the book's central character, its protagonist and narrator (for consideration of the metaphorical and/or symbolic implications of his name, see "Topics for Discussion - What are the symbolic and/or metaphoric values ..."). He is described as tall and slender to the point of being skinny, which is what makes the nickname "Pudge," given to him by his roommate Chip (see below), profoundly ironic. From the beginning of the novel he is portrayed as being realistic almost to the point of being cynical, a follower rather than a leader, somewhat eccentric in his interests (he is fascinated by the last words of the dying) and, perhaps most importantly, as desperate for something more than what he calls his "minor life." When he goes away to boarding school, he makes friends (and becomes attracted to) a beautiful woman who, it could be argued, lives a...