The Harvest (Characters)

Characters

Curious Boy

The curious boy is one of the group of boys who follow Don Trine to see where he goes and what he does on his walks. Unlike the others, though, he is intrigued by what he sees Don Trine doing. He goes back on his own and imitates Don Trine’s actions for himself.

Group of Boys

The boys in the group are young migrant farm workers who speculate on why Don Trine goes on so many solitary walks. They follow him to find out what he does but lose interest when they discover that he is not hiding a treasure trove of money.

Don Trine

Don Trine is one of the migrant farm workers and the only character in the story who is named. He is old, although this description is supplied by the youngsters, which means that Trine might perhaps be only middle-aged and simply appear old to their young eyes. Trine is a bachelor and appears to be a sober, cautious, taciturn man. He says little, but he has a temper: he angrily turns away anyone who tries to follow him in his walks. A loner, Trine is a man who likes his own company.

Trine has been working for many years, presumably doing the same kind of work, but he does not spend the money he earns in any ostentatious way. He has no family to take care of, and his only luxury is the occasional beer or cigarette. It is this frugal aspect of Trine’s character that leads the youngsters to think that he may have money stashed away in the holes that he digs.

It turns out that Trine values his connection to the land more than money or human company. He appears to be completely satisfied when he immerses his arm up to the elbow in the holes he has dug and feels the earth nestling up against his skin.