Don Birnam

Don Birnam is the novel’s protagonist. He is a man in his mid-30s and is an alcoholic. When he was young, he had a sensitive temperament, and he developed a love of literature at an early age. Don aspires to be a writer, but his alcoholism has consumed his life. He is unemployed, and his brother pays the rent for Don’s apartment. Don’s emotional and psychological dynamics are defined by a mixture of delusion, shame, and insecurity. Don is mostly in denial about his alcoholism, and thus he is unable to remain sober.

Don’s drinking habits originally began as a way to cope with his general insecurities and anxieties about his life. His alcoholism exacerbates those anxieties by keeping him trapped in a cycle of drinking, delusions of grandeur, and general self-disgust. Don is also bisexual. Societal homophobia has caused him to...