# Narrator — The Enormous Room character guide > Narrator in The Enormous Room by E. E. Cummings. **Role:** major **Also known as:** me, I, myself, Edward Estlin Cummings, Cummings, young Cummings, Edward Cummings, Edward E. Cummings, Mr. Cummings, this Mr. Cummings **First appearance:** 0001-the-enormous-room ## Snapshot An American ambulance driver turned prisoner who studies his cell's penciled walls with a woodcut-lover's eye, whistling Petroushka through the slit of sky. ## Who they are He arrives at La Ferté-Macé already delighted by iron doors and curious about a latrine can, treating incarceration as a puzzle of human traces left by Germans and Frenchmen before him. His mania for woodcuts and his habit of finishing a whistled tune from the next cell reveal a temperament that converts misery into observation. That appetite for detail is what makes the camp legible to us, and what keeps his own spirit oddly intact. ## Relationships ### [Jean le Nègre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/jean_le_negre) _friendship_ Jean le Nègre is the narrator's closest and most admired companion in the prison, sharing a bond of mutual respect and defiance against authority. ### [The Zulu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/the_zulu) _friendship_ The Zulu is a loyal and gentle friend to the narrator, often providing comfort and solidarity in the harsh prison environment. ### [The Trembling Planton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/the_trembling_planton) _social_ The Trembling Planton is a nervous and pitiable fellow prisoner whom the narrator observes and interacts with frequently, but without deep emotional connection. ### [B.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/b) _friendship_ B. is a close companion and fellow inmate who shares the narrator's experiences and frustrations in the prison. ### [Count Bragard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/count_bragard) _rivalry_ Count Bragard is a pompous and antagonistic figure who clashes with the narrator over status and ego within the prison hierarchy. ### [Monsieur le Ministre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/monsieur_le_ministre) _rivalry_ Monsieur le Ministre is a self-important and deceitful prisoner who the narrator views with suspicion and contempt. ### [The Wanderer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/the_wanderer) _social_ The Wanderer is a transient and enigmatic figure in the prison, with whom the narrator has frequent but superficial interactions. ### [Apollyon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/apollyon) _rivalry_ Apollyon is a cruel and menacing guard who represents the oppressive authority the narrator despises and resists. ### [La Soeur du Conducteur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/la_soeur_du_conducteur) _social_ La Soeur du Conducteur is a fellow prisoner with whom the narrator has regular but distant interactions, marked by mutual wariness. ### [Celina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/celina) _friendship_ Celina is a kind and motherly figure among the prisoners who offers the narrator warmth and small acts of kindness. ### [T-d](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/t_d) _friendship_ T-d is a quiet and reliable friend to the narrator, sharing a bond of mutual understanding in the prison's chaos. ### [Pete the Shadow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/pete_the_shadow) _social_ Pete the Shadow is a mysterious and elusive prisoner whom the narrator observes and interacts with occasionally, but without intimacy. ## In the story ### [The Enormous Room](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/the-enormous-room) Describes the enormous room and its inhabitants, reflecting on the experience of imprisonment. ### [I: I Begin a Pilgrimage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/i-i-begin-a-pilgrimage) The narrator recounts his departure from the ambulance section and his interrogation at Noyon. ### [II: En Route](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/ii-en-route) The narrator is the central figure, traveling under guard, drawing caricatures, and interacting with fellow prisoners and gendarmes. ### [III: A Pilgrim's Progress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/iii-a-pilgrim-s-progress) The narrator is the protagonist experiencing the journey and arrival at La Ferté Macé. ### [IV: Le Nouveau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/iv-le-nouveau) Wakes up disoriented in The Enormous Room, reunites with B., and learns the camp's daily schedule and hierarchy. ### [V: A Group of Portraits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/v-a-group-of-portraits) Reflects on the timeless nature of imprisonment and introduces portraits of fellow prisoners. ### [VII: An Approach to the Delectable Mountains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/vii-an-approach-to-the-delectable-mountains) Describes the arrival of Pete and other prisoners, interacts with Count Bragard and the R.A., and reflects on camp life. ### [X: Surplice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/x-surplice) Observes Surplice's treatment and reflects on the dynamics of cruelty and suffering. Offers Surplice cheese and wine, and gives him a flannel shirt before his departure. ### [XI: Jean le Nègre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/xi-jean-le-n-gre) Defends Jean against the Surveillant, gives him his pelisse and cigarettes, and reflects on Jean's lasting impact. ### [XII: Three Wise Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/xii-three-wise-men) Waits nervously for his commission hearing, then enters the room with defiant composure, impressing one examiner and challenging the authority of the commission. ### [XIII: I Say Goodbye to La Misère](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/chapters/xiii-i-say-goodbye-to-la-mis-re) Describes his depression after B.'s departure, his refusal to believe in Oloron, and his sudden release. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters/narrator - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enormous_room_se/characters