Jake Brown
Jake is the protagonist of McKay’s novel, a former soldier. He’s charming, easy-going, and admired by most women he meets. He’s inconstant and doesn’t manage to find a lasting job for himself. Jake’s uneducated and lacks general knowledge, but is curious about the world around him. Although he sleeps with a lot of women throughout the novel, he’s constantly in search for the one he’s fallen in love with at the beginning and doesn’t give up until he finally meets her again.
Ray
Ray doesn’t resemble any other character in the novel. He’s a Haitian immigrant who’s educated and intelligent, who doesn't use slang and who’s emotional and critical of the social situation of the African-American community. He teaches Jake a lot about politics, history, and literature. He somewhat envies his friend because of his success with women. Ray’s dream is to become a writer and at the end of the novel, he leaves Harlem on a ship to Europe. There’s a popular belief that Ray is a personification of McKay’s own views on race and society.
Zeddy
Zeddy is Jake’s closest friend who’s incapable of working on his own, so most of the time he’s been taken care of by a woman. Although he’s ashamed of it, he doesn’t really try to gain financial independence. At the end of the novel, he gets in a big fight with Jake over Jake’s lost love Felice. Because of the fight, Jake and Felice escape to Chicago.
Felice
Felice is the mysterious woman whom Jake meets at the beginning of his adventures. Although she works as a prostitute, she doesn’t take money from him the night they meet. When they find each other after a long time has passed, she’s really happy and decides to leave Harlem together with him.
Congo Rose
Rose works as a entertainer in a cabaret named Congo and falls in love with Jake when he first comes back to Harlem. He uses her for her money and sex, but isn’t really interested in her. Jake and Rose move in together several times over the course of the novel, but things do not work well between them. Eventually, as she tries to win his affection by making him jealous, he leaves her without even saying a word.
Ginhead Susy
Susy is predominantly known for her gin parties at Mirtle Avenue. She often feels as though Harlem is a "hell" for her people, always a place of fighting and terrible men. She’s the one who provides for Zeddy financially, but she also tries to control his actions and life. As he doesn’t live by her rules, she eventually kicks him out.
