Abdou Kader Beyè (ah-BEW KAY-dehr BAY-yay), widely known as El Hadji, is a prosperous businessman in his fifties from Senegal. A Muslim and a polygamist, he has two wives and a total of eleven children. Once a schoolteacher, he was dismissed because of his union activities during the colonial regime. Following independence, he thrived in business ventures, often engaging in unethical practices and exploiting the poor. As a member of the rising native bourgeoisie, he belongs to the prestigious Group of Businessmen of Dakar and serves on several boards. He is characterized by his confidence and ostentatious lifestyle, symbolized by his lavish spending on luxuries like a Mercedes-Benz, villas for each wife, European clothing, and a grand celebration for his third marriage.

Despite his external success, El Hadji faces a profound personal crisis when he becomes impotent due to a spell known as the xala. This condition is a significant disgrace in his society, revealing his true nature as his life is consumed by the quest to remedy this condition. El Hadji believes that sexual prowess is the essence of life, and as the impotence persists, he spirals into deep depression, neglecting his wealth, family, and business. The situation becomes almost farcical as he, who previously dismissed tribal customs as superstition, resorts to seeking help from a marabout instead of consulting a Western-trained doctor. Ultimately, he discovers that the spell was cast by a relative he had wronged years ago. Ousmane Sembène uses El Hadji's story as a satirical critique of the Senegalese elite, who thrive while the masses suffer. This is accentuated by El Hadji's secular lifestyle despite his pilgrimage to Mecca, which was supposed to signify devoutness.

Rama (RAH-mah), the eldest daughter of El Hadji and Awa, embodies the modern African woman. An undergraduate at university, she is active in movements that aim to conserve African culture and values, such as the preservation of the Wolof language, while advocating for necessary changes. Despite her respect and affection for her mother, she suggests divorce but ultimately respects Awa's decision against it. Rama is critical of her father’s polygamous lifestyle, yet she does not hesitate to utilize his financial resources. Her convictions in nationalism, education, and women's sexual freedom, despite being admirable, often stem from self-interest and a desire to distinguish herself from the older generation. In the novel’s climactic final moments, Rama fails to grasp the beggars' anger, thereby inadvertently aligning herself with the very corruption her father represents.

Adia Awa Astou (ah-DEE-ah AH-wah ah-STEW), the first wife of El Hadji. An attractive woman approaching forty, Awa habitually has dressed in white since her visit to the Kaaba with her husband, as the devout Muslim she became at her marriage. In manner and speech, she is reserved, dignified, and straightforward. Fidelity to her responsibility as spouse and as mother of her six children imposes restraint and self-denial as she copes with her husband’s foolishness and her children’s questions. A woman of great inner strength, she refuses the solution of divorce suggested by Rama, her oldest daughter. It is Awa, with Rama, who stands beside El Hadji in his final moment of humiliation.

Oumi N’Doye (EW-mee ihn-DOH -yay), the second wife of El Hadji. She is younger than and completely different from Adia Awa Astou. Dominated by Westernized tastes, she thrives on French fashion magazines, a superficial social life, and extravagant spending. She resents her position as second wife. Jealousy and hatred of Awa motivate her demands for material advantages for her children and the elaborate measures she takes to keep El...

The beggar, a previously unrecognized member of Abdou Kader Beyè’s clan, plays a crucial role in El Hadji's downfall. Despite frequent police interventions at El Hadji’s request, the beggar persistently returns to the street corner opposite El Hadji’s office, chanting in a high-pitched, irritating voice. His relentless presence serves as a constant reminder of El Hadji's past wrongdoings. The beggar ultimately precipitates El Hadji's ruin as an act of vengeance for his clan, which El Hadji had defrauded of property years earlier.

N’Gone (ihn-GOH-nay), the third wife of El Hadji, is a nineteen-year-old who is both pretty and fond of pleasure. Having failed her exams twice, she is unable to find employment. Her aunt arranges her marriage to El Hadji as a strategic move rather than out of love. Due to El Hadji’s impotence caused by the xala, their marriage remains unconsummated. Eventually, N’Gone returns to her parents' home and begins a relationship with a young man from her own generation.

Yay Bineta (bee-NAY-tah), the twice-widowed paternal aunt of N’Gone. Physically unattractive and with a malicious expression in her eyes, this unfortunate busybody brings misfortune to others through her mischief. Through flattery, cunning, and manipulation, she inserts N’Gone into the life and attentions of El Hadji, finally succeeding in arranging the marriage that precipitates his ruin.