DNA

by

Dennis Kelly

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on DNA makes teaching easy.

Jan Character Analysis

Jan is Mark’s close friend and constant companion. Mark and Jan’s vague, gossipy conversations act as preludes during each part of the play, opening the action in a disorienting and intriguing way. Jan and Mark are morally neutral for much of the play, though Jan tries to excuse their group’s abuse of Adam by insisting he always enjoyed doing anything the others told him to. Jan’s words and beliefs suggest that she either truly thinks Adam enjoyed being bullied, showing how desensitized she is to violence, groupthink, and peer pressure—or that she is so desperate to absolve herself of any guilt or remorse that she wants to convince herself that Adam enjoyed the bullying. Either way, Jan’s attitude toward the very serious crimes and brutalities she and her friends have committed against Adam is cruelly cavalier.

Jan Quotes in DNA

The DNA quotes below are all either spoken by Jan or refer to Jan. 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:
Right vs. Wrong Theme Icon
).
Scene 2 Quotes

He’s not joking, he’s not going, he’s said he’s not going, I said you’ve gotta go, he said he’s not going, ‘I’m not going’ he said.

Related Characters: Mark (speaker), Brian, Jan
Page Number: 28
Explanation and Analysis:
Scene 3 Quotes

LEAH: It’s incredible. The change. This place. You’re a miracle worker. Everyone’s happy. […] Funny thing is they’re all actually behaving better as well. I saw Jan helping a first year find the gym. Mark’s been doing charity work, for Christ’s sake. Maybe being seen as heroes is making them behave like heroes.

PHIL considers his waffle. Decides it needs more jam.

Yeah, everyone happy. Well it’s not all roses, you know. Brian’s on medication. […] John Tate hasn’t been seen in weeks, and the postman’s facing the rest of his life in prison, but, you know, omelettes and eggs, as long as you’ve your waffle, who cares.

Related Characters: Leah (speaker), Phil, Brian, John Tate, Jan, Mark
Related Symbols: Food and Drink
Page Number: 45-46
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire DNA LitChart as a printable PDF.
DNA PDF

Jan Quotes in DNA

The DNA quotes below are all either spoken by Jan or refer to Jan. 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:
Right vs. Wrong Theme Icon
).
Scene 2 Quotes

He’s not joking, he’s not going, he’s said he’s not going, I said you’ve gotta go, he said he’s not going, ‘I’m not going’ he said.

Related Characters: Mark (speaker), Brian, Jan
Page Number: 28
Explanation and Analysis:
Scene 3 Quotes

LEAH: It’s incredible. The change. This place. You’re a miracle worker. Everyone’s happy. […] Funny thing is they’re all actually behaving better as well. I saw Jan helping a first year find the gym. Mark’s been doing charity work, for Christ’s sake. Maybe being seen as heroes is making them behave like heroes.

PHIL considers his waffle. Decides it needs more jam.

Yeah, everyone happy. Well it’s not all roses, you know. Brian’s on medication. […] John Tate hasn’t been seen in weeks, and the postman’s facing the rest of his life in prison, but, you know, omelettes and eggs, as long as you’ve your waffle, who cares.

Related Characters: Leah (speaker), Phil, Brian, John Tate, Jan, Mark
Related Symbols: Food and Drink
Page Number: 45-46
Explanation and Analysis: