Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

John T. Unger

John T. Unger is the clear protagonist in "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz." We experience the bizarre happenings of the story through his eyes – the eyes of an outsider, both to the Washington estate and to the world of extravagant wealth as a whole. We root for him as he tries to escape from Braddock and from the object of the story's satire – America's obsession with wealth.