Characters / Infinite Jest

Incandenza Family

In general

• Broken Ace: While they excel at their respective fields, they are all deeply-flawed individuals.
• Dysfunctional Family: And how. Himself commits suicide-by-microwave, Hal is dependent on the drugs he does in secret, and the Moms is having sex with one of her students, who she makes dress up as her son.
• Meaningful Name: "Incandenza" sounds rather like "incandescent", which means "emitting visible light as a result of being heated". This relates to James's work as a light physicist and hints at how "bright" many of the Incandenzas are.

Hal

Harold Incandenza

Youngest child of the Incandenzas, who has his dad's tennis talent and his mom's bookishness.

• Academic Athlete: Has read complicated texts for fun since his early years and has a cerebral tennis game that places him highly, 3rd in ONAN before age 18.
• Celibate Eccentric Genius: Unlike other students, has not considered getting to know someone.
• The Chessmaster: His tennis game is described as cerebral.
• Going Cold Turkey: Stops using marijuana, with significant consequences.
• Grammar Nazi: Inherited from the Moms.
• Like Father, Like Son: In terms of talents and vices.
• Must Have Nicotine: Frequently chews tobacco around the courts.
• Photographic Memory: Can recite entries verbatim from the Oxford Dictionary.
• The Protagonist: Much of the novel is seen or concerned with his point of view.
• The Speechless: Hal's final fate, as shown in the first scene of the book.
• Sweet Tooth: Notably also has a sugar addiction, leading to tooth pain and a visit to the dentist later.
• Unreliable Narrator: Admits to lying to Orin most of the during their phone conversations.
• Verbal Tic: Answer the phone with a drawn-out "Mmmmyellow".

Mario

Mario Incandenza

Second son of the Incandenza family with an interest in photography and filmmaking like his father.

• Affectionate Nickname: Hal calls him "Booboo".
• The Baby of the Bunch: Treated as such even by the younger Hal.
• Camera Fiend: He's never without his camera.
• The Grotesque: From mismatched eyelids to (literally) square feet, listing his normal features takes a shorter time.
• Insomnia Episode: Due to not being able to listen to Madam Psychosis.
• Nice Guy: Possibly the nicest character in the novel, genuinely so with a perpetually positive demeanor.
• Undeathly Pallor: Has gray-green skin.

Orin

Orin Incandenza

Eldest of the Incandenza brothers who got into football.

• Accidental Athlete: While not good at other football positions, a fortuitous kick of the ball is how Boston University discovers his talent as a star punter.
• The Casanova: Really Gets Around during his time at ETA, often drawing infinity symbols on the posteriors of the women he's bedded.
• Compulsive Liar: Noted to consider truth as "constructed". It's implied some of his recollections are complete fabrications.
• Crippling Overspecialization: His skill at lobbing and nothing else limited his tennis game.
• Derailed Train of Thought: In his phone conversations with Hal.
• Jerkass: Revealed in his true, contemptuous thoughts about his family and the women who are his Subjects.

Avril

Avril Mondragon "The Moms" Incandenza

A linguist from Quebec who marries James, and becomes Dean of Academics of ETA.

• Affectionate Nickname: Referred to by her sons as "The Moms".
• Character Tics: Grows a lot of houseplants and eats dinner very late.
• Grammar Nazi: Par excellence. Starts an organization called the Militant Grammarians of Massachusetts who are dedicated to the proper use of the English language.
• Manipulative Bastard: Her obsequious courtesy is framed as this by some characters.
• Neat Freak: In the sense of needing everything orderly, with a tendency to panic when that order is disrupted.
• Open-Minded Parent: Bordering on Parental Obliviousness, due to a desire to allow her sons to be free to choose their paths.
• Really Gets Around: Implied to have affairs with many men.
• Stacy's Mom: Said to be found "endocrinologically compelling" even by young men.
• Statuesque Stunner: Only James is taller than her.

James

James Orin "The Man Himself" Incandenza, Jr.

A brilliant physicist, tennis player, and artistic filmmaker.

• The Alcoholic: Especially in the last three years of his life, possibly inherited from his dad.
• Child Prodigy: Already poring over academic texts on optics in his childhood.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Self-inflicted death by microwave.
• Going Cold Turkey: Implied to have quit alcohol shortly before his suicide.
• In Vino Veritas: Becomes talkative when drunk.
• Obsessive Hobby Episode / Polymath: Ranging from his many patents (including annular fusion technology) to his numerous films, he tends to focus on a field he wants to pursue.
• The Quiet One: His default disposition, which has alienated him from his family.
• Posthumous Character: Dead for most of the time covered by the book.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Creator of The Entertainment, a film cartridge that holds one's attention to lethal extremes that ends up getting violent separatists involved.

James Sr.

James Orin Incandenza, Sr.

A tennis prodigy and famous advertising actor that is the father of James Jr. and paternal grandfather of the Incandenza brothers.

• Alcoholic Parent: Often portrayed drinking in his scenes with his son.
• Career-Ending Injury: Destroying his knees on the floor of a tennis court was why he ended up switching occupations.
• Jock Dad, Nerd Son: Not a straight example, but in the general dynamic of his interactions with James Jr. where he tells him to stop overthinking things and just do what he says.
• Posthumous Character: Long dead by most of the book's timeline.

Enfield Tennis Academy

In general

One of the leading tennis academies in ONAN, founded by James Incandenza.

• After-School Cleaning Duty: Students are occasionally involved in maintenance tasks such as inflating climate-controlled domes.
• Elaborate University High: A maze of buildings and tennis courts all dedicated to cultivating the sport's talent.
• Graceful Loser: As part of the proper sporting demeanor promoted to its students.
• Off to Boarding School: Some students are just dropped off by their parents, never seen for several years.
• The Rival: Port Washington, another tennis academy located on Long Island, hosts an annual competition with ETA.
• Training from Hell: Downplayed, but the athletic training and tour procedures take a physical and mental toll on the students. Particularly tough drills are used as deniable Corporal Punishment.
• Tunnel Network: Used for maintenance.

Mike Pemulis

Michael Mathew (sic) Pemulis

One of Hal's closest ETA associates, being involved in providing recreational drugs, master of Eschaton (the tennis-based game of global thermonuclear war), and planner of elaborate revenge schemes.

• Character Tics: Likes to play with zippers.
• Crippling Overspecialization: While his prowess at lobbing made him the best Eschaton player, his lack of skill in other areas condemned him to tennis mediocrity.
• Embarrassing Nickname: "Penisless", coined by a tennis match opponent and used by Orin.
• Good with Numbers: Comfortable with calculus and reveres mathematics as the only source of objective truth.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: His drug empire is busted and set to be expelled from the academy.
• The Nicknamer: Of students and instructors at ETA.
• Scholarship Student: An optical science scholarship by the academy founder is how he gets into ETA despite a working-class background.
• Young Entrepreneur: Of the drug (and clean urine) dealing variety.

Ortho Stice

Another one of Hal's close friends in the academy, a member of the 16s age group.

• Butter Face: A male version. Has an excellent build, but a jowly face and a large forehead.
• Chubby Chaser: Noted to have a preference for women with a Rubenesque physique.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Wears all black all the time; is very well-liked and respected.
• Lightning Bruiser: Has a fast and hardhitting game.
• Odd Friendship: With the older 18s players.
• Parental Neglect: Happens when, interestingly, both parents aren't fighting with each other, causing them to hole up in their bedroom with junk food and recreational drugs.
• Phobia: Of weights.
• Properly Paranoid: Correct about a student moving his bed.
• Tongue on the Flagpole: Or in Stice's case, forehead on the window. It doesn't end well for him.

John Wayne

John "No Relation" Wayne

Top player at ETA from Canada. No relation to the famous American actor.

• The Ace: Considered the finest tennis player in ETA.
• Named Like My Name: He was found by James Incandenza while he was making a film about people who shared their names with the Western film actor John Wayne.
• The Stoic: Focused to the point of being considered cold-blooded by other characters.
• Teacher/Student Romance: Hinted to be engaging in carnal relations with Avril.

Gerhard Schtitt

One of the prorectors at ETA. Old, Germanic, strict.

• Gratuitous German: Fond of using German words in his speech.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With prorector Aubrey DeLint.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With Mario Incandenza.
• Misery Builds Character: A firm believer in pushing through pain and privations to achieve new heights.
• Noodle Incident: Had to resign from his previous position due to an incident involving a riding crop. Has to substitute a pointer during his term at ETA.

Barry Loach

Head trainer at ETA.

• Family Versus Career: His parents wanted one of their sons to go into the seminary. When his other brothers couldn't, he is faced with this choice.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Born to a large family.
• Rousing Speech: In an attempt to convince his older brother to join the priesthood so he doesn't have to, he speaks of the warmth of strangers. This leads to...
• Slumming It: ...time spent homeless on the streets of Boston, due to a wager on whether someone will touch him as a matter of human affection.

Charles Tavis

Socially awkward half-brother of Avril and the new Headmaster of ETA.

• Animals Hate Him: Gets accosted by a huge bumblebee and pigeons throughout the course of the novel.
• Creator Killer: Designed Toronto's SkyDome in his years as an architect. The placement of hotel windows near the scoreboard led to an incident that caused him to quit.
• Diet Episode: Becomes obsessed with low-fat eating.

Metropolitan Boston characters

Ennet House

Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House

A recovery center found by an unnamed Recovered Addict.

• Boxed Crook: Many of its inhabitants have problems with the law, and often have to keep to the house to avoid encounters with police.
• Department of Redundancy Department: The Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House (sic).
• Quirky Household: A halfway house filled with substance-dependents from all walks of life, each with their own distinguishing set of idiosyncrasies and malfunctions.
• Slobs Versus Snobs: Downplayed, but there is a divide between the lower-class and upper-class members.

Boston AA

Alcoholics Anonymous, Boston Chapter

The famous alcohol addiction recovery group based around a 12-step peer program has a Boston branch that hosts event exchanges with Ennet.

• Boring, but Practical: While the activities you have to do in the program seem trite, they do work at keeping you away from the substance addiction.
• Capital Letters Are Magic: Recovering from your Substance is based on following exhortations to Abide, Keep Coming, and other Stock Aesops.
• Mirroring Factions: A major discussion in the book is the similarity of AA groups to substance addiction itself and cults.
• Never My Fault: Strongly averted, with members not fond of newcomers pinning their decision to take up drugs on external things.
• Older and Wiser: Veterans of Boston AA are often Sponsors of newer members, acting as mentors that guide them on the path of sobriety.
• Spinoff: Various copycat offshoots like Nicotine Anonymous also have a presence in Boston.

Don Gately

Donald W. Gately

A former criminal addicted to oral narcotics turned live-in staffer at Ennet House.

• Affectionate Nickname: His mom called him "Bimmy", which was actually from neighborhood kids calling him "B.I.M."^note Big Indestructible Moron.
• Big Fun: A overall Nice Guy noted to have a completely different aura when he heartily laughs.
• The Big Guy: Physically imposing, which helps in his role as House staff.
• Book Dumb: Not the most academically-inclined individual, prone to mispronouncing words and having trouble keeping up with complex discussions.
• Boxed Crook: His involvement in Ennet House and Alcoholics Anonymous started out as a way to avoid facing charges for his crimes and getting sent to prison (again).
• Combat Pragmatist: Brawls with a brutal, no-holds-barred style.
• Deuteragonist: Second only to Hal in terms of how closely the book examines him as a person.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Does not engage in bullying as a child, and refrains from sexual assault and killing as a criminal. A bungled burglary that ends up suffocating the homeowner is what puts him on the path of his Heel–Face Turn quitting both drugs and crime.
• Gangbangers: Started out his criminal career as a member of a local Boston gang.
• Hallucinations: Frequent when he ends up hospitalized due to being shot.
• Hard Head: His large, square head is nearly impenetrable to elevator doors and other things smashed on it.
• Hidden Depths: While he can be considered a dumb brute, he is very perceptive of his surroundings (a legacy of his criminal days) and other people's feelings.
• Politically Incorrect Hero: Despite his new status as a Gentle Giant, harbors antiquated beliefs towards other races he refers to (mentally) with slurs.
• Recovered Addict: One of the most successful members of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Joelle Van Dyne

An impossibly beautiful woman who causes people to see her to blank out, favored actress of the auteur James Incandenza.

• Broadcast Live: Her midnight radio show.
• Cathartic Chores: Engaged in this during her relationship with Orin.
• The Faceless: When in public, she wears a veil.
• Greeneyed Redhead: A woman with reddish-gold hair with striking green eyes who is involved in the samizdat that ties all the plot threads together.
• Punny Name: Her professional name is a play on "metempsychosis".
• Recovered Addict: Well, recovering from cocaine, anyway.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Debatably; Don Gately seems to think that she fits this trope.
• Ship Tease: With Gately and (to a minor degree) Erdedy.
• So Beautiful, It's a Curse: She tells people that this is the real reason she wears the veil. It may or may not be true.
• Stage Names: "Madame Psychosis".
• Tough Act to Follow: Her replacement once she goes to Ennet is not as compelling, at least according to Mario.
• World's Most Beautiful Woman: Joelle before her accident, at least, is often referred to as the "P.G.O.A.T", or prettiest girl of all time.

Pat Montesian

Executive Director and former resident of Ennet House, she was one of Gately's Ennet mentors.

• The Alcoholic: Her drinking was what led her involvement in Ennet and AA.
• Recovered Addict: A successful alumnus of Ennet House.
• Secret Test of Character: Subverted in that Ennet residents know and tell newcomers about the fact that she wants potential residents to pet her epileptic, mangy dogs during their interviews.
• Socialite: Was this before her descent into alcoholism.
• Two-Faced: A stroke caused by her alcoholism has left half of her face in a rictal grin, with that half of her body being rigid.

Calvin Thrust

One of Ennet's more senior counselors who used to be an adult star.

• Gag Penis: His most valuable asset in his former position, which is...
• Intimate Marks: ...rumored to have a tattoo of his initials, and his name when extended.
• Recovered Addict: From a cocaine addiction
• Tough Love: The foundation of his counseling.

Kate Gompert

Katherine Ann Gompert

A depressive dependent on dope residing in the women's section of Ennet House.

• Bungled Suicide: Several attempts using different methods, none of which seems to have left her with any debilitating injury.
• The Eeyore: Her defining trait is demonstrating her withdrawal from life.
• Tap on the Head: Averted when a purse-snatcher accidentally slams her face first into a light pole, leaving her in quite a bit of pain and potential damage.
• Unkempt Beauty: Played with, as she is noted to be quite attractive, but her inattention to self-care can be too much.

Geoffrey Day

A college professor who ends up in Ennet to treat a red wine and Quaaludes addiction.

• Absent-Minded Professor: Particularly when on his drugs of choice. He ends up browsing the shelves of a store he crashed his automobile into.
• Car Meets House: Got sent to Ennet after crashing into a sporting goods store window.
• Character Tics: One of Ennet House's biggest stationary leg-joggers.
• Insufferable Genius: Relentlessly questions the cliches of addiction groups, to the particular exasperation of Gately.

Ken Erdedy

An ad exec in Ennet suffering from anxiety and marijuana usage.

• Character Tics: In addition to the above, he engages in stationary leg-jogging.
• Real Men Hate Affection: Doesn't like hugs, which gets him into trouble during an AA event.

Tiny Ewell

Eldred K. Ewell

A talkative tax attorney sent to Ennet for his drinking.

• Depraved Dwarf: Downplayed, as his crimes are mostly of the kleptomanic variety.
• Fake Charity: Collected fraudulent donations from unsuspecting Boston homeowners during his youth.
• Silver Tongue: His gift of gab allows him to become leader of a group of Irish toughs in his childhood.
• Stealing from the Till: As manager of the Money Stealing Club's finances, he engaged in escalating embezzlement until it got him into trouble.

Randy Lenz

Richard Lenz

An Ennet House cocaine addict who has a habit of taking long walks to arrive just before curfew.

• Bad People Abuse Animals: Finds demapping urban wildlife and pets a release from the lack of power he has.
• Character Tics: Needs to be on the north side of things and avoids time-telling devices.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: A white mustache.
• Parental Neglect: Especially at school meetings by his mother. He invokes this as a reason for his addictions.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Wears a topcoat and dress shoes for his walks.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His shenanigans led to Gately being hospitalized.

Bruce Green

Another Ennet cocaine abuser and good friend of Gately.

• Absurd Phobia: Pranks, Shriners, and anything Polynesian. Justified by:
• Dark and Troubled Past: Lost both his parents due to tragic yet ridiculous circumstances.
• Fratbro: Life immediately after high school was a perpetual party for him.
• Nephewism: Raised by his aunt.

"Poor Tony" Krause

An unfortunate, flamboyant, purse-snatching heroin addict on the streets of Boston suffering very unpleasant living conditions.

• Confusion Fu: Used to aid his thefts, such as asking for help against the victim chasing him or accidentally, with a the cries of awoman who lost her external artificial heart being confused for a love confession by passersby.
• Convulsive Seizures: The one he suffers on a Boston train due to withdrawal from heroin is outlined is visceral, soul-crushing detail.
• Creepy Crossdresser: The high heels and pink/purple color palette are not flattering when combined with his ragged conditions and petty theft.
• Humiliation Conga: His portrayal in the novel is essentially one big, drawn-out example.
• Going Cold Turkey: Involuntary, due to losing his contacts.
• Potty Emergency: One of the side effects of his withdrawal.

Emil Minty

A heroin addict with a criminal record and poor grasp of proper English spelling and grammar.

• Gangbangers: Before Ennet, his main non-drug activity was "crewing" on other people to exchange their possessions for cash.
• Panty Thief: Ends up stealing a female Ennet resident's underwear.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Has a tattoo including a misspelling of a slur used against Black people. Said misspelling is also how he refers to Blacks in general.
• Practical Joke: Turns out to be one of those who put up the "HELP WANTED" sign on the screaming nurse in a neighboring facility.
• The Quincy Punk: Tattoos and mohawk on a thoroughly unpleasant individual.
• Self-Applied Nickname: Refers to himself as "yrstruly" during his chapter.

Dr. Wo

A Chinese crime boss with strong connections to Boston's drug trade.

• Affably Evil: Unfailingly courteous, even to people he plans to stab in the back.
• DrugTampering: His heroin is occasionally laced with lethal adulterants.
• The Triads and the Tongs: Head of a primarily-Chinese organized crime syndicate.

Trent Kite

A former member of Gately's theft crew.

• Clandestine Chemist: Known for high-quality, interesting concoctions.
• The Cracker: Uses his skill with computers as part of the gang.
• Gag Nose: Like that of a tapir's.

North American politics

O.N.A.N.

Organization of North American Nations

A superstate created from the amalgamation of Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

• Different States of America: Due to pollution, much of New England north of Massachusetts has been abandoned and forcibly given to Canada in an event called Territorial Reconfiguration. The curve of the border has given it the name Great Concavity (Convexity for Canada).
• The Empire: In practice, it's a means for the US to impose its will on its neighbors through the policy of Experialism, exporting unwanted items and costs like pollution as opposed to traditional imperialism.
• The Federation: How it was sold and portrayed itself.
• One Nation Under Copyright: Downplayed with schemes like Subsidized Time, where corporations bid to name years to fund the enormous costs of Reconfiguration.
• Polluted Wasteland: Dumping by Empire Waste Displacement catapults and air pollution outflows by ATHSCME fans have turned most of New England and the surrounding areas of Canada into desolate locales filled with mutated plant, animal, and human life.

President Johnny Gentle

A "Famous Crooner" and head of the Clean United States Party who presided over the formation of ONAN.

• Lounge Lizard: Had a singing career before becoming President.
• Neat Freak: The entire rationale of the CUSP he founded was to clean up the US and make others pay for it.
• Our Presidents Are Different: President Personable who eventually becomes President Lunatic.
• 0% Approval Rating: His ratings have tanked after two terms, being considered a walking joke.

U.S.O.U.S.

United States Office of Unspecified Services^note "Bureau Sans Specificite" in French

Created from the amalgamation of several US government agencies such as the CIA and NSA. Responsible for various tasks such as administrating Subsidized Time.

• Government Agency of Fiction: One of the most secretive and powerful government organizations in ONAN.
• Secret Identity: Required for their field agents. Often elaborate with their modifications, such as adopting and inflicting real disabilites.
• State Sec: Its ancestry of American intelligence organizations and the wide latitude given for its actions make the organization this in practice.
• We Have Reserves: Top officials view interns and convicted criminals as acceptable losses in uncovering the mystery of The Entertainment.

Rodney Tine

Campaign manager of Gentle's CUSP turned USOUS chief under President Gentle.

• Character Tics: The only blackmail that can be used against him is keeping a ruler to measure his member from time to time.
• The Man Behind the Man: Certain interpretations (e.g. James and Mario's films) of ONAN history have painted him as this to Gentle.
• The Quisling: Implied to be collaborating with Quebec separatists through his relationship with Luria P.

Hugh Steeply

Field agent of the USOUS involved in the hunt for the Entertainment, bringing him into contact with Rémy Marathe of the AFR.

• The Big Guy: Another character with a large build.
• Disguised in Drag: His Secret Identity during the bulk of the novel.
• Motor Mouth: Not so much a quick talker as just someone who takes a lot of words to get to the point.
• Order Versus Chaos: Judging from his responses to Marathe's political philosophy questions, he believes in a good system of laws as a way to create social harmony and prosperity.
• Secret Identity: Moment magazine profile journalist Helen Steeply.

A.F.R.

Les Assassins de Fateuil Rollents^note "Wheelchair Assassins" in English

A Quebec separatist group demanding Canadian secession from ONAN and an end to Reconfiguration.

• Assassination Attempt: Their main tool, targeting Canadian and (after Reconfiguration) ONAN officials.
• Evil Cripple: Their members are remorseless, cruel killers who cannot be reasoned with.
• Eye Scream: A railroad spike through the eye is their Signature Move.
• Handicapped Badass: One way they make up for their lack of perambulation is with upper body strength that allows a significant fraction of their members to scale heights provided there are handholds. Their skills have also allowed them to carry out complex operations that have thwarted the highest security in North America.
• Weaksauce Weakness: Steep inclines are still hard to scale with wheelchairs.
• Western Terrorists: In the vein of the Front de libération du Québec and other Quebecois independence movements.
• Would Hurt a Child: They do not falter at the thought of kids being harmed in their operations, such as during a plan to hijack a bus carrying high-school tennis players.

Rémy Marathe

An AFR agent with Conflicting Loyalty, being involved in meetings with Hugh Steeply of the USOUS.

• Big Damn Hero: Rescues his future wife from an oncoming trailer truck while trying to off himself.
• Character Tics: Often pretends to sniff during conversations.
• Double Agent: Feeding information to the main institution opposing his organization.
• The Infiltration: At Enfield Tennis Academy.
• One True Love: Unable to leave his spouse, the main reason he was turned from pursuing suicide.