Mae Holland

Maebelline “Mae” Renner Holland is the twenty-four year old main character of Dave Eggers’s novel “The Circle”, who ultimately serves as a wolf in sheep’s clothing rather than an outright villain by the end of the novel. When the novel begins, Mae is only two years removed from college, is bright-eyed, eager to please, and wants to make an impact on the world, like most people in their twenties and thirties. She is very pretty, has a very sweet voice, and looks forward to her future. However, she is incredibly impressionable. She has secured a job in Customer Experience at the internet-technology giant, the Circle, with the help of her best friend from college, Annie.

Mae is thrilled to be working at the Circle, and it is explained to Mae that not only will she be expected to do her regular work, but to maintain...