Main Street · Character

Jack Elder

A jovial, heavy-drinking traveling salesman.

minor

Also known as Elder, Dear Jack

First appearance: v

Jack Elder's tie to Carol Kennicott is one of the pressures that moves Main Street—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

Calls out to the couple upon their return, asking about their trip.

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With Carol Kennicott (social): Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of the social fabric Carol finds stifling. With Carol Kennicott (social): Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of the social fabric Carol finds stifling. With Carol Kennicott (social): Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of the social fabric Carol finds stifling.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Jack Elder sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Jack Elder in v

Character Web

38 connections

A slice of how Jack Elder sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Main social circle
Town background figures

+33 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because Carol experiences a psychological reversal: her aloofness melts, and she f…

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Relationships

Carol Kennicott
social · ambivalent
Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of… How this plays out →
Carol Kennicott
social · ambivalent
Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of… How this plays out →
Carol Kennicott
social · ambivalent
Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of… How this plays out →

Carol Kennicott
Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of the social fabric Carol finds stifling.
Carol Kennicott
Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of the social fabric Carol finds stifling.
Carol Kennicott
Jack Elder is the town's hotelkeeper and a jovial but conventional businessman, part of the social fabric Carol finds stifling.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Jack Elder in v

In the story

Jack Elder appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

IV
Calls out to the couple upon their return, asking about their trip.
XIV
Mentioned by Will as an example of a local with hidden interests, particularly music.
VI
Listed among the small busy men who form the sterile oligarchy of the town.
IV
Jack Elder drives the group in his new Cadillac and meekly receives Bresnahan's ideas.
I
Jack Elder is part of the poker party, contributing to the male camaraderie that excludes Carol.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Jack Elder unlock in the free preview.

See Jack Elder in v

See Jack Elder in IV