# John Dorsey Leonard — Look Homeward, Angel character guide

> John Dorsey Leonard in Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** John Dorsey Leonard, John Dorsey, Leonard, old man Leonard, John, Mr. Leonard

**First appearance:** 0005-part-i-i

## Snapshot

The school's austere principal, a man of rigid discipline and buried disappointments, who rules his classroom with the same severity that has hardened his life.

## Who they are

John Dorsey Leonard presides over the Altamont school with a Methodist minister's gravity and a martinet's insistence on order, his authority absolute and his manner cold. Behind the desk he is a man whose own ambitions have narrowed into routine, and his marriage to Margaret is a partnership of shared austerity rather than warmth. To Eugene he represents the institutional world that must be endured and eventually outgrown, a stern gatekeeper whose approval is as rare as it is grudging.

## Relationships

### [Eugene Gant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/characters/eugene_gant)

_professional_

John Dorsey Leonard is the headmaster of the school Eugene attends, a stern disciplinarian who both inspires and intimidates him.

### [Eugene Gant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/characters/eugene_gant)

_professional_

John Dorsey Leonard is the headmaster of the school Eugene attends, a stern disciplinarian who both inspires and intimidates him.

### [Eugene Gant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/characters/eugene_gant)

_professional_

John Dorsey Leonard is the headmaster of the school Eugene attends, a stern disciplinarian who both inspires and intimidates him.

## In the story

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/chapters/part-ii-xvi)

Recruits Eugene, negotiates with Eliza, and brings Eugene to the schoolhouse.

### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/chapters/part-ii-xxiii)

Praises Eugene's abilities to Gant, calling him unmatched.

### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/chapters/part-ii-xxiv)

John Dorsey Leonard is the master who meticulously records student misbehavior and punishes them. He has a complex relationship with Eugene, mixing affection with stern discipline.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/chapters/part-ii-xxv)

Confident in French General Joffre's strategy, reassures Eugene and expresses faith in England.

### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/chapters/part-ii-xxvii)

Directs Eugene to put on the Prince Hal costume; laughs at its fit.

### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/chapters/part-iii-xxviii)

Laughs quietly at Margaret's emotion, acknowledging Eugene's growth from a boy in knee-pants.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/characters/john_dorsey_leonard
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/look_homeward_angel_se/characters