James Callifer

James Callifer is an employee of a provincial newspaper located in central England. Although he is in his mid-forties, James remains immature, self-centered, diffident, and at times, prone to suicidal thoughts. He is under the care of a psychiatrist, Dr. Kreuzer, who endeavors to help him cope with his feelings of life's meaninglessness, perceived personal failure, incapacity to love, and a sense of familial rejection due to a repressed dark deed. Symbolically, James embodies modern humanity's struggle, having lost its direction following the abandonment of religious faith. His journey through the play reveals a profound personal and spiritual transformation, aided by his niece Anne and the gardener's widow, Mrs. Potter, who help him confront and relive a traumatic childhood event.

Mrs. Callifer

Mrs. Callifer is an elegant and dignified upper-middle-class housewife, mother to James and John. At seventy, she retains her handsome appearance and has dedicated her life to supporting her husband, H. C. Callifer, a once-renowned writer of rationalist and atheistic works akin to the ideas of George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell. However, he has since faded into obscurity. Following her husband's offstage death in the first scene, she comes to realize that he was a weak man who depended on her protection, and intellectually dishonest in his beliefs. She confesses to James that she intentionally distanced him from his father due to a “miracle” that challenged H. C. Callifer's entire philosophy and public persona. This pivotal revelation exposes the deep-seated family dynamics and the long-hidden truth about the past.

John Callifer

John Callifer, approximately fifty years old, is a successful banker and provides a sharp contrast to his younger brother, James. John is pompous, self-assured, and insensitive, adopting their father's views without introspection. His character serves as a reflection of his father during his prime, highlighting a certain resistance to self-examination and an avoidance of existential queries typical of many successful men of his era. John’s role in the play emphasizes the potential folly of inheriting beliefs without question.

Anne Callifer

Anne Callifer, a precocious thirteen-year-old student, is the daughter of the widowed John. She is a product of progressive educational and child-rearing principles, having been taught to prioritize facts over faith. This upbringing has made her remarkably independent and, at times, difficult for her elders to control. As a catalyst in the narrative, Anne takes it upon herself to inform her Uncle James of his father's impending death. Later, she uncovers Mrs. Potter, who provides James with crucial information allowing him to confront his past traumas. Anne symbolizes the future of humanity, teetering between further alienation through skepticism or rediscovering joy and love through faith.

Father William Callifer

Father William Callifer, an elderly and alcoholic Catholic priest, has long been unwelcome in his brother H. C. Callifer’s household due to his conversion to Catholicism. However, a deeper reason for his exclusion is revealed as the play's climax: When James was fourteen, he attempted suicide in the potting shed after his father’s rationalist philosophies shattered his faith. Father William prayed fervently for James's revival, offering his own faith as a sacrifice. James's revival seemed miraculous, yet William became a faithless, alcoholic priest. Their eventual reconciliation allows both to reclaim their belief in God and the intrinsic meaning of the universe.

Sara Callifer

Sara Callifer is James’s former wife, an attractive thirty-six-year-old woman who mirrors James's feelings of being joyless and lost. Although she remains in love with James, they divorced because of his emotional detachment. Sara represents the erosion of love between genders caused by materialism and atheism. After James's spiritual awakening, he proposes remarriage...