Elmer Gantry characters

Appears from the start

A large, magnetic college athlete whose appetite for drink, attention, and power is matched by a gift for public speech. Elmer is quick to adopt whatever certainty serves him, and he discovers that religious language can turn his forceful personality into authority over a crowd.

Appears from the start

Elmer's intelligent college friend, an open skeptic who reads widely and challenges the beliefs expected at their Baptist school. Jim sees through much of Elmer's performance but remains personally loyal to him.

First appears in chapter 2

A devout fellow student whose earnest faith and moral seriousness contrast with Elmer's impulsiveness. Eddie helps draw Elmer into the college's revival atmosphere and accepts his conversion as genuine.

First appears in chapter 6

The head of Mizpah Theological Seminary, where confidence in Baptist doctrine and conformity to ministerial expectations matter more than intellectual uncertainty. He welcomes Elmer's imposing presence and apparent zeal.

First appears in chapter 7

A minister's daughter whom Elmer courts while training for the Baptist ministry. Affectionate and inexperienced, Lulu is vulnerable to his alternating passion, promises, and efforts to control how others judge their relationship.

First appears in chapter 8

Lulu's father, a strict country Baptist minister. He treats his daughter's conduct as a matter of family honor and church discipline and expects Elmer to meet the obligations he has created.

First appears in chapter 15

A celebrated independent evangelist who combines theatrical instinct, organizational ambition, and sincere religious intensity. She stages large revival meetings with music and spectacle, and immediately recognizes Elmer's usefulness as a commanding speaker.

First appears in chapter 22

A thoughtful Methodist minister troubled by the conflict between intellectual honesty and the doctrines he is expected to preach. His doubts make him a quiet counterpoint to Elmer's confident ambition.

First appears in chapter 23

A Methodist bishop and practical church administrator who sees Elmer's ability to attract attention and build congregations. He guides Elmer's advancement within a denomination whose structures Elmer is learning to use.

First appears in chapter 24

The composed daughter of a prosperous family, attractive to Elmer as both a wife and a partner in a respectable ministerial career. She accepts his public vocation and helps give his ambitions a stable domestic setting.

First appears in chapter 31

A woman who approaches Elmer during the height of his public campaign against vice. Her apparent admiration presents the crusading minister with the same private temptation he condemns in others.