# John T. Unger — Short Fiction character guide > John T. Unger in Short Fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald. **Role:** major **Also known as:** John, young John T. Unger, John Unger, Unger **First appearance:** 0001-i ## Snapshot A young Southerner of faded gentility who accepts a party invitation and finds himself drawn into a world of wealth, mystery, and quiet menace. ## Who they are John T. Unger comes from a family whose white house and officer's portrait once meant something, but who now picks up odd jobs and avoids parties where he might be mistaken for the help. When a casual invitation pulls him back toward the social set he thought he'd lost, his half-frightened sense of adventure carries him into a world whose rules he doesn't understand. His outsider's hunger to belong is the engine of a story about what the rich keep behind their doors. ## Relationships ### [Rags Martin-Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/rags_martin_jones) _romantic_ John is romantically intrigued by the mysterious and wealthy Rags, leading to a relationship built on deception and allure. ### [Kismine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/kismine) _romantic_ John falls in love with the beautiful and naive Kismine, but their romance is complicated by her family's dark secrets. ### [Rags Martin-Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/rags_martin_jones) _romantic_ John is romantically intrigued by the mysterious and wealthy Rags, leading to a relationship built on deception and allure. ### [Kismine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/kismine) _romantic_ John falls in love with the beautiful and naive Kismine, but their romance is complicated by her family's dark secrets. ### [Rags Martin-Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/rags_martin_jones) _romantic_ John is romantically intrigued by the mysterious and wealthy Rags, leading to a relationship built on deception and allure. ### [Kismine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/kismine) _romantic_ John falls in love with the beautiful and naive Kismine, but their romance is complicated by her family's dark secrets. ## In the story ### [The Diamond as Big as the Ritz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/the-diamond-as-big-as-the-ritz) The protagonist, a young man from Hades, invited to the Washington estate. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/ii) The protagonist from Hades, who is awestruck by the Washington château and its diamond mountain. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iii) John awakens and experiences an extravagant bath and grooming ritual, then meets Percy. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iv) Listener to Percy's story, staying with the Washington family. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/v) John explores the estate, meets Kismine, and is deeply impressed by her beauty and innocence. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/vi) John is being shown around the Washington estate, observing the slaves' quarters and the pit of captured aviators, feeling uncomfortable under Braddock Washington's dominance. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/vii) In love with Kismine, he gives her a gold football and treasures a sapphire from her hair. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/viii) John enjoys the estate's wonders, plans to elope with Kismine, and is horrified by the revelation of murdered guests. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/ix) Awakens to the attack, narrowly avoids execution, and plans escape with Kismine. ### [The Bribe to God and the Fall of the Washington Empire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/x) Observes Braddock Washington's prayer and the subsequent explosion, then escapes with Kismine and her sister. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/xi) John leads the escape, reacts to the rhinestone mistake, and philosophizes about youth and disillusionment. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/ii) John Chestnut, the persistent suitor who tries to win Rags by promising a glimpse of the Prince of Wales. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iii) John Chestnut accompanies Rags to the Hole in the Sky, explaining the venue and the entertainment, and gives her permission to join Baron Marchbanks' party. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iv) John Chestnut (John T. Unger) orchestrates the elaborate hoax, pretending to be a murderer on the run to test Rags's loyalty and create a dramatic spectacle. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/john_t_unger - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters