Student

The play does not have a traditional central character or protagonist because it does not conform to traditional models of storytelling structure, however the Student is the closest thing the play has to a protagonist. It is the Student’s arrival outside the apartment building, seeking to wash his face and hands after a traumatic night rescuing people after a building collapse, which serves as a catalyst for the play’s action. The Student’s selfless actions at the collapsed building are contrasted with the selfish and unkind behavior of the other characters. The arrival of the Student inspires the Old Man to interfere with the Colonel’s ghost supper, a decision which forms the majority of the plot.

The Student reveals early on in the play that he is a “Sunday child,” literally meaning that he was born on a Sunday, which has traditionally been believed to...