spreading democratic ideas among young people. When he was a youth of fourteen, Kalick, while serving as the leader of Hans’s Hitler Youth group, was responsible for the death of one small boy and for the persecution of another lad who could not prove his Aryan background. Now a shining light in the new democratic movement, Kalick has recently invited Hans to his house to ask forgiveness for his past mistakes. Hans, however, cannot forgive and strikes him before leaving without accepting the offer of reconciliation.

Leo Schnier

Leo Schnier, Hans’s younger brother, who became a Catholic and is now a seminary student. He is generous, undemanding, and generally supportive of his brother.

Martin Derkum

Martin Derkum, Marie’s father, a not very successful shopkeeper. He is an intellectual and thought by many to be a Communist. Kind, generous, and not the typical chameleon of the times, changing with each new situation, he is one of the few men Hans respects.

Hans, as a clown, immediately evokes several cultural and historical associations. First, he is Pagliacci, the clown who is “laughing on the outside, crying on the inside” as a result of his separation from Marie. Despite his spontaneity and innocence, at the age of twenty-seven he is no longer a romantic youth but a mature adult who has not joined the establishment because of his nature and profession. He is not an acquisitive materialist; he enjoys simple pleasures such as playing Parcheesi, taking long baths, reading newspapers, singing liturgical music, and making love with Marie.

Second, Hans conforms to the archetype of the medieval fool, who, because of his fool’s freedom, is allowed to speak openly; that is, he has official permission to make any statement, regardless of its veracity, as long as it is entertaining. Ironically, these pronouncements frequently represent truth or wisdom. As a clown, Hans shows audiences the comic nature of their everyday routine, the foolishness behind their overly serious drive to succeed and acquire. Hans’s strength of character and single-minded purpose make him a sympathetic individual even though, in his private life, Hans cannot help but alienate those powerful figures whose lives he exposes.

Though Hans is an artist, and the reader learns much about his life-style and preferences, his experiences and convictions, this work is not primarily a Kunstlerroman. Heinrich Böll uses the artist as an outsider, a knowledgeable but distanced observer of German society—most specifically, the influential circles of church and industry—with a strong personal interest in the outcome. Hans is innocent but not naive; he observes and understands the power structure but without any desire to participate. Nevertheless, society cannot tolerate such an individual who, through his art, brings insight into the hypocrisy of everyday life.

Marie is a mysterious figure throughout the novel. She vacillates between her love and devotion to Hans and to the Church. She does not actually appear in the novel, other than through Hans’s recollections and references from other characters. Why she ultimately left Hans to rejoin the Church and marry Zupfner is unclear. Feminist critics have emphasized Hans’s ignorance of her individuality, but this argument is specious: Marie had made many choices of her own free will to reconcile with Hans after their inevitable lovers’ quarrels, and he was the one who encouraged her wavering faith by waking her Sunday mornings to attend Mass. Regardless of her motivation, it is imperative for the novel’s development that Marie, the one person in this outsider’s life, be separated from him. He had hoped to live quietly with Marie on the fringe of society but soon learns that society will not allow him to do so. Now, completely alone, Hans is motivated to “fight for her,” to voice his objections to the hypocrites and conformists who have stunted his development.

Though politicians and members of the military are criticized in passing, the industrial Schnier family and church hierarchy are the main targets ofThe Clown. The Schnier family itself represents a cross section of German society: the sister, Henrietta, is the innocent civilian killed in the futile war effort; the brother, Leo, is the uncertain youth who denies his heritage and converts to Catholicism, studying in the seminary and, thus, denying his worldly existence; the mother is the blind patriot, and materialist who adapts to prevailing social trends without hesitation; the father is the sensitive but responsible industrialist, brave in time of need but ultimately made impotent by his rigid standards of property and propriety. Of the entire family, Hans is the only one who will not, indeed cannot, forget the past.

There are several characters who represent different aspects of the Catholic establishment, including Sommerwild, Fredebeul, Kinkel, and Blothert, for example, though it is difficult to distinguish between them. They represent types more than distinct personalities, since their conformity tends to obliterate any distinguishing traits.

Hans Schnier, the protagonist and "Clown" of the novel, serves as the mouthpiece for Boll's perspectives. At twenty-seven, Hans embodies a paradox: he is both experienced and innocent, passionate yet apathetic, combative and regretful. Despite his deep faith in humanity, Hans's pursuit of a meaningful life appears doomed from the start. An agnostic and an enigma, he shuns societal institutions, choosing instead a self-imposed isolation. While this preserves his personal integrity, it tragically ruins his private life and professional standing.

Hans remains the central figure throughout the novel. Apart from a visit from his father, he is the only character directly introduced to the reader. However, through phone conversations and memories, the reader becomes well-acquainted with the key figures in Hans's life, including his family, former friends, professional colleagues, and personal adversaries. Boll gives particular attention to the female characters, using them to highlight Hans's complexities. The hypocrisy of Hans's mother contrasts sharply with the innocence of his sister Henrietta, whose untimely death during the war led to Hans's gradual withdrawal from the world. Marie, another significant character, is depicted as a captivating blend of sexuality and sensuality, ultimately tainted by a manipulative and uncaring society. Without Marie, Hans drifts aimlessly, overwhelmed by despair, yet unwavering in his love and unrepentant in his beliefs.