Characters

List of Characters and Analysis of Major Ones 

The Narrator: 

The narrator is probably in his mid 30's or early 40's. He currently lives with his partner named Jill in a small town called Longview. He was previously married to another lady. The narrator is a heavy smoker and this is shown when he is stressed. In the story, his mother decides to move to the town they were living in, and he is not happy that she wants to be nearby so he tells her that she won't like the town and the atmosphere but she still moves and complains about her happiness while she is there. When she tells her son about her unhappiness and talking about death as a way to escape he starts to worry about her and as a result, he starts smoking more frequently.  

Narrator's Mother:

The mother is a 70 year old widow who has been without her husband for a while. While he was alive they moved frequently and explored, this has continued on even after her husband died from alcohol. While she has made some changes to her life since his death such as not drinking or smoking, she still likes to move often and likes to constantly talk. The mother seems to be on a journey to find happiness after her husband died a tragic death from alcoholism. She has recently moved from big California to a small town called Longview in Washington and at the end of the story, she moves back to California. 

Narrator's Father:

Not much is known about the father except that he was an alcoholic while he was alive. The parents had an obsession with moving frequently which began when the husband lost his job and they decided to move all over. 


Narrator's Wife Jill:

Jill is 35 years old and is not afraid to say what is on her mind. She is currently a dog groomer and has been living with the narrator for almost a year. He is her third partner, as each of her previous two marriages didn't work out. Jill moved in with the narrator at about the time when his mother decided to move to the same town.  Jill and the mother are friendly to each other but Jill doesn't like spending time with her. She doesn't like having her partner's mother living so close because it reminds her of one of her previous marriages where the mother was clingy towards her son. Jill has been polite and friendly the whole time while they are all having dinner at the mothers place, but she finally tells her that she's been stressing her child out and driving him crazy. This is when we start to realize how the mother annoys Jill.