Max is the protagonist of the novel; he is the first black man in America to receive Dr. Crookman’s treatment and become white. After his transformation, he changes his name to Matthew and relocates from Harlem to Atlanta. Through Matthew’s experiences, the reader understands the precarious nature of race relations in America; as a black man, Matthew idealized the lives of white people, but as soon as he becomes white, he realizes that a life of ease and white privilege is not what he thought it would be. To make a living, he joins a white supremacist society called the Knights of Nordica. 

Matthew holds most of the characters in the novel at a distance, mainly focused on how he can further his own desires and goals. His best friend, Bunny, is the only exception as Matthew’s confidante and most trusted relationship. The two men fought in World War I together, and this shared military experience as black men forged a close friendship that only grew stronger once they became white. 

As Matthew navigates the white world, he uses his wits and his unemotional pragmatism to get his way, suggesting that survival in racist America is possible as long as one has common sense and ambition.