Alexander Portnoy
The protagonist; a client of Dr. Spielvogel who confides in the doctor all his various neuroses and compulsions surrounding his overwhelming addiction to sexuality and sensuality. His stories are accounts of taboo, vulgarity and self-loathing. Portnoy's secondary conflict is his complex relationship to his cultural identity as a Jewish man.
Dr. Spielvogel
The audience of the confession. Spielvogel's patient listening is the backdrop of the narrative.
Portnoy's mother
A hysterically stereotypical Jewish mother whose flamboyance and shrill personality lead Portnoy to believe during early childhood that she was all-powerful and ever-present. She may serve as a type to explore the various religious implications of Portnoy's post-modern addictions.
Portnoy's father
An emasculated man who works for a firm who doesn't respect him much, possibly because he is a Jew. His meek timidity is a foil for the mother and an example of the reversal of traditional gender roles.
Various gentile women
The accounts of Portnoy's sexual adventures orbit his fascination with outsider women. This is likely a reference to the Jewish story of the nation of Israel who consistently removed God's blessing from upon themselves by pursuing sexual relationships with women from the outsider cultures of the Middle East.
