Clint Character Analysis

Clint is Hope Jahren’s husband, a mathematician who also works at the University of Hawaii. The two met at a party in Baltimore, while Jahren was working at Johns Hopkins University. After they got married, they returned to Baltimore, where Jahren introduced Clint to Bill, the other important man in her life. Although Bill had met many of Jahren’s boyfriends in the past, he had never taken much interest in them; he was hesitant to accept Clint, but when Clint offered to let him drive to Fort McHenry, Bill relented. Jahren, Bill, and Clint attended Family Day, symbolizing the unconventional family relationship they would develop over time. Clint is portrayed as balanced and thoughtful, and very loyal to Jahren. When Jahren is pregnant with their son, her department chair decides that Jahren cannot be present in her own lab, deeming her a liability. Instead of relaying this message himself, the chair sends Clint—who is a math professor at the university—to speak with Jahren, who is understandably upset. But unlike Jahren, Clint does not raise his voice or fight the chair’s decision; instead, when the time is right, he and Jahren quit their jobs at Johns Hopkins and take up positions at the University of Hawaii, where the find their colleagues more understanding and inclusive. Throughout the last third of Jahren’s memoir, Clint is a constant background presence, keeping his wife balanced and grounded.