Charley Edwards

Charley is a young actor, the "leading juvenile" of a Pittsburgh stock theater company, and a friend of Paul's. He encourages Paul's interest in the theater, inviting him to the company's Sunday rehearsals and allowing him to hang around. When Paul's school situation worsens and Paul's father puts him to work, Charley "remorsefully" promises not to see Paul again. After Paul leaves home, Cather explains that Charley had helped Paul plan his trip to New York.

Paul

Paul is the protagonist, or main character, of the story. A "motherless lad," he was born in Colorado, where his mother died of illness in his infancy. He is a thin, pale, dreamy adolescent who feels a need to set himself apart from his conventional surroundings in Pittsburgh. Whereas those around him are concerned about making a living and coming "up in the world," he is attracted to the glamorous...