Peace Like a River

by

Leif Enger

Superintendent Chester Holgren Character Analysis

The superintendent of the Roofing school district and Dad's boss. Reuben says that Mr. Holgren was made to be a superintendent, as he inspires fear in children and seems constantly annoyed by them. Swede calls Mr. Holgren "Chester the Fester" on account of his angry, acne-ridden face. When Mr. Holgren publicly fires Jeremiah, Jeremiah shows his Christ-like characteristics by curing Mr. Holgren’s acne, rather than being angry.

Superintendent Chester Holgren Quotes in Peace Like a River

The Peace Like a River quotes below are all either spoken by Superintendent Chester Holgren or refer to Superintendent Chester Holgren. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Youth vs. Adulthood Theme Icon
).
When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll Quotes

It was the fact that Chester the Fester, the worst man I'd ever seen, even worse in his way than Israel Finch, got a whole new face to look out of and didn't even know to be grateful; while I, my father's son, had to be still and resolute and breathe steam to stay alive.

Related Characters: Reuben Land (speaker), Jeremiah Land (Dad), Israel Finch, Superintendent Chester Holgren
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Peace Like a River LitChart as a printable PDF.
Peace Like a River PDF

Superintendent Chester Holgren Quotes in Peace Like a River

The Peace Like a River quotes below are all either spoken by Superintendent Chester Holgren or refer to Superintendent Chester Holgren. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Youth vs. Adulthood Theme Icon
).
When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll Quotes

It was the fact that Chester the Fester, the worst man I'd ever seen, even worse in his way than Israel Finch, got a whole new face to look out of and didn't even know to be grateful; while I, my father's son, had to be still and resolute and breathe steam to stay alive.

Related Characters: Reuben Land (speaker), Jeremiah Land (Dad), Israel Finch, Superintendent Chester Holgren
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis: