A Calamity of Souls

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism and racist violence.

Jack Lee is the protagonist of the novel. He is a white man who sees himself as intelligent, having done well in school and having a law degree, yet he acknowledges that he did not go to one of the best law schools. At the beginning of the novel, he turns 33. He is disappointed with much of his professional life, having been out of law school for eight years and still “just getting by” (7). He believes that he has largely failed to “change” the world—which was one of his goals in becoming a lawyer.

Jack changes throughout the course of the novel. At the novel’s start, he recognizes the racist actions of his mother and is glad that segregation is ending. Because of his love of books, he has a vast knowledge of Black history and the hardships that Black people have faced, yet he largely ignores these hardships, as they do not affect him. He largely chooses to go along with the way things are and scolds himself for not being a “risk-taker.”

However, he realizes how very real injustice is for people like Jerome.