*Main Characters*

Within the first few chapters all of the main characters have been introduced. They include Quoyle, Pearl, Aunt Agnis Hamm, Bunny, and Sunshine.

Quoyle: Quoyle is the main character and the story revolves around him and his family. When he is first introduced he is described as being flawed, having a "head shaped like a crenshaw, no neck, reddish hair scrunched back. Features as bunched as kissed fingertips. Eyes the color of plastic. The monstrous chin, a freakish shelf jutting from the lower face" (2). All of his features cause him to loose confidence in himself, which makes him very shy and quiet. He has been called a failure by his father ever since he was little, which has also added to the way he feels about himself. He seems to live a miserable life and he wants to just get through life. "He survived childhood; at the state university, hand clapped over his chin, he camouflaged torment with smiles and silence. Stumbled through his twenties and into his thirties learning to seperate his feelings from his life, counting on nothing" (1). This shows that he is ashamed of himself and he isn't living his life to the fullest. He is described as being very lonely and he doesn't really talk to anyone, until he meets his wife Pearl, and finds himself caring for someone.

Pearl: One of the only people close to Quoyle, Pearl is Quoyle's wife. She is very unlike Quoyle; she speaks her mind and she has a very strong personality. At she and Quoyle's first meeting, she came right out and said, "You want to marry me, don't you? Don''t you think you want to marry me?" (13). She shows she is fearless because she says and does whatever she wants, without caring about the consequences. But, her actions show that she might be a little crazy and that she isn't aware of the effect of her actions. Pearl almost seems to have multiple identities; "By day she sold burglar alarms at Northern Security, at night, became a woman who could not be held back from strangers' rooms, who would have sexual conjunction whether in stinking test rooms or mop cupboards. She went anywhere with unknown men. Flew to nightclubs in distant cities. Made pornographic video while wearing a mask cut from a potato chip bag" (14). Pearl is obviously very promiscuous and not very loyal to her husband. She seems to always look for something that she doesn't have in order to fill a void in her life.

Aunt Agnis Hamm: Quoyle's Aunt Agnis arrives first arrives after the death of his parents, which was brought upon by their own suicides. Agnis helps Quoyle through the troubling times, which also includes the "kidnapping" of his daughters by his wife. She is a motivator to help Quoyle move on with his life and improve his outlook on the future. She praises Quoyle's reaction to the kidnapping, saying "You're good hearted. Some would curse her mangled body for selling the little girls" (24). She is very encouraging, which provides Quoyle with a relationship unlike any other he has had before. She is very helpful to him, even offering to help Quoyle and his girls to move to Newfoundland and stay with them and get settled. Agnis' wisdom provides much assistance to Quoyle as she stays with him and helps him start a whole new life in an unfamiliar territory.

Bunny: Bunny is the oldest of the two daughters, six years old, described as being smart, with "reddish hair and freckles like chopped grass on a wet dog" (22). Bunny seems to be a normal kid, until Quoyle begins to notice that there might be something wrong with her. He points out that she had claimed to see a white dog with red eyes numerous times, when actually nothing was there. "She was like a kettle of water, simmering and simmering, or in noisy boil before the pot goes dry and cracks, or sometimes cold, with a skim of mineral flowers on the surface" (132). Quoyle tries to figure out what is causing all of the strange "sightings" to happen, which might in fact be influenced by Petal's death.

Sunshine: Sunshine is the youngest of the two and has "wee beauty in her frowst of orange curls" (22). Sunshine behaves like the average child and younger sibling, acting out in jealousy and anger. She follows Bunny's behavior and always wants to do the same things she does, which is shown as Sunshine cries "I want to do that" (123) as Bunny plays with a car. It is not apparent, but the death of her mother Petal might have had an effect on her.

Wavey: Wavey is a tall woman Quoyle sees often while driving down the streets of Newfoundland. Her stride catches his eye and he sees her as being very graceful. A car ride together shows that she is very proper, "she sat straight, feet nearly side by side." She is soft-spoken and very quite, but Quoyle finds something about her very attracting. She is the complete opposite of Petal, which might be why he is so interested in her.