Clyde Griffiths

Clyde is the protagonist of the novel. He is an adamant chaser of the American Dream of wealth and success. Clyde seeks to rise from his simple beginnings and gets swept up in the promise of luxury and fast living. Behind his charm and respectful manners, Clyde suffers from a weakness of mind and morality that eventually leads to his undoing.

Elvira Griffiths

Elvira is Clyde's mother. She is so preoccupied with suffering for the word of God she cannot fully understand the depth of Clyde’s ambitions and his need to escape into the secular world. Her maternal instincts make her very caring when it comes to her children, and she tries to support them through earnest prayer.

Asa Griffiths

Asa is Clyde's father. He is a poor street evangelist. Although praised by his wife as a visionary in religious matters, he is not nearly as...