John

John is one of the two main characters in the play. He is given no physical description and is simply listed in the character list as "a man in his forties." From the dialogue in the play, readers are able to discern a bit more about him. He is a professor teaching at a well-respected university. He doesn't adhere to traditional professor-student relationships and enjoys employing a "free thinking" environment in his classrooms. At the opening of the play, John lives in relative security: he is in the process of buying a new house in a middle-class neighborhood, enjoys a well-paying job (at which he is about to receive tenure), is white, well educated, and academically respected. This position makes him somewhat pompous and condescending, but he is good at heart. He seems genuinely concerned with awakening curiosity in his students and enjoys sharing his viewpoints with them...