Characters
- Major Henry Scobie – Longtime police inspector and protagonist of the novel.
- Louise Scobie – Henry's devout Catholic wife.
- Catherine Scobie – Deceased daughter of Henry and Louise.
- Ali – Scobie's long-time African servant.
- Edward Wilson – New inspector who secretely spies on the actions of Major Scobie, and is in love with Louise.
- Harris – Housemate to Wilson
- "Dicky" Pemberton – Inspector who commits suicide due to his large debt to Yusef.
- Helen Rolt – Newly arriving widow who becomes Scobie's mistress.
- Yusef – Syrian local black marketeer who blackmails Scobie after finding a letter in which he expresses his love for Helen.
- Tallit – Catholic Syrian who is the main competitor to Yusef.
- Father Rank – Local Catholic priest.
- Father Clay – Catholic priest at Bamba who reads about saints.
Read more about this topic: The Heart Of The Matter
Famous quotes containing the word characters:
“We are like travellers using the cinders of a volcano to roast their eggs. Whilst we see that it always stands ready to clothe what we would say, we cannot avoid the question whether the characters are not significant of themselves.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Do you set down your name in the scroll of youth, that are written down old with all the characters of age?”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“A criminal trial is like a Russian novel: it starts with exasperating slowness as the characters are introduced to a jury, then there are complications in the form of minor witnesses, the protagonist finally appears and contradictions arise to produce drama, and finally as both jury and spectators grow weary and confused the pace quickens, reaching its climax in passionate final argument.”
—Clifford Irving (b. 1930)