The Dean's December

Main Characters and Their Development

• Albert Corde — a dean whose life and inner world are revealed through his journey to Eastern Europe, where he faces political and personal challenges that force him to rethink his beliefs and values.
• Minna Corde — Albert's wife, whose illness becomes the catalyst for their trip to Bucharest, and whose presence in the book symbolizes the connection between the personal and the public, between the West and the East.
• Romania — not just a setting, but a living character embodying the atmosphere of political tension and cultural contradictions affecting the inner world of the characters.
• Chicago — a city that remains in Albert's thoughts, symbolizing his past and professional life, contrasting with his experiences in Europe.