Content Warning: This section of the guide contains depictions of alcohol misuse.

Emil Sinclair is the novel’s narrator and protagonist. His narrative voice is marked by a reflective tone. He utilizes his adult and childhood perspectives to narrate his coming-of-age journey. The first line of the novel establishes his narrative voice and perspective: “I will begin my story with something that happened to me when I was ten years old and going to Latin school in our small town” (3). Sinclair is to be straightforward and informative as he utilizes his experiences to outline his process of self-discovery. Due to his dual perspective, his narrative voice reflects the very duality of man that he attempts to understand throughout the novel. His memories are mediated through his adult perspective as he reflects on how he perceived events as a child. His development from childhood to adulthood revolves around his intellectual pursuits as well as his emotional response to the world around him.

Sinclair’s outward or physical appearance tends to match his internal experience. At the beginning of the novel, he feels “cold and deeply exhausted” by his decision to lie to Kromer, which illustrates the start of how his internal conflicts reflect his physical health (14).