▁Char acters ▁Henry ▁Mul c ah y ▁is ▁the ▁literature ▁instruct or ▁and ▁Joy ce ▁expert ▁around ▁whom ▁the ▁story ▁revol ves . ▁Though ▁port rayed ▁at ▁first ▁as ▁a ▁sympath etic ▁character , ▁he ▁is ▁later ▁revealed ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁highly ▁manip ulative , ▁dup licit ous , ▁and ▁self - ser ving ▁individual . ▁May n ard ▁Ho ar ▁is ▁the ▁President ▁of ▁J oc ely n ▁College , ▁and ▁the ▁man ▁responsible ▁for ▁Mul c ah y ' s ▁dismiss al . ▁Howard ▁F urn ess ▁is ▁the ▁chairman ▁of ▁J oc ely n ' s ▁literature ▁department . ▁Dom na ▁Re j ne v , ▁a ▁young ▁woman ▁from ▁Russia , ▁is ▁the ▁young est ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁literature ▁department ▁and ▁the ▁first ▁of ▁the ▁fac ulty ▁to ▁hear ▁of ▁Mul c ah y ' s ▁wo es . ▁ ▁Br ief ▁Ex cer pt ▁". ▁. ▁. ▁they ▁had ▁succeeded ▁in ▁leading ▁him ▁up ▁the ▁garden ▁path ▁into ▁one ▁of ▁their ▁academic ▁ma zes , ▁where ▁a ▁man ▁could ▁w ander ▁for ▁et ern ity , ▁meeting ▁himself ▁in ▁mirror s . ▁No , ▁he ▁repeated . ▁Poss ibly ▁they ▁were ▁all ▁very ▁nice , ▁high - mind ed , ▁sc rup ul ous ▁people ▁with ▁only ▁an ▁occup ational ▁t endency ▁towards ▁back bit ing ▁and ▁a ▁nerv ous ▁habit ▁of ▁self - cor re ction , ▁always ▁em ending , ▁p enc iling , ▁er asing ; ▁but ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁care ▁to ▁catch ▁the ▁bug