William Least Heat Moon

William Least Heat Moon, whose given English name is William Trogdon, is the narrator of the story. William receives his Native American name from his father who is called Heat Moon. William's elder brother is called Little Heat Moon, which leaves William, who comes last, to be called William Least Heat Moon. William is thirty-eight-years-old in 1978, when he takes his trip around America. William lives is Columbia, Missouri, and decides to take his American odyssey after he loses his college teaching job and learns that his estranged wife is dating other men. William hopes to find some purpose for his own life by witnessing and experiencing the lives of others who live in America. William's Native American ancestry drives his quest for personal and spiritual fulfillment, and he even names his van Ghost Dancing in honor of the ancient resurrection rituals of the Plains Indians...