Characters in Sarny, A Life Remembered

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"Sarny, A Life Remembered" By: Gary Paulsen Character Descriptions The characters in this story are some very interesting people. They each lead their own way of life, and have their own interests at heart. Some of the main characters in this novel are: Sarny, Lucy, Miss Laura, Bartlett, Stanley, and Sarny's two children Little Delie, and Tyler. Sarny is the central character in this book. She is clever and knows exactly what to even in the worst of times. She is very emotional though, and can break down and cry when the slightest of things happens. This is perhaps from what she has experienced as a slave earlier on in her life. Sarny is fond of teaching people, as a friend named Nightjohn once taught her. Lucy is Sarny's close friend. She is also quite wise, but is a bit too optimistic at times. She never stops smiling and is very friendly. However, she does help Sarny find her lost children. Miss Laura is a middle-aged woman who lives a very luxurious life. She gives Sarny and Lucy a place to live and offers them employment. She also finds Sarny's children for her. Bartlett works for Miss Laura as well. He is a quiet and patient man who is helpful and quite kind. He was however castrated as a young slave boy, and cannot have children. Stanley is Sarny's second husband, for her first died from being worked to death on the plantation. Stanley is a gentle, big, fun-loving man, but is not intimidated by anything. This leads him to his death when he gets mad at a white man, and is confronted by the Ku Klux Klan. Little Delie and Tyler are Sarny's lost children. After she recovers them, and they grow up, Little Delie starts to like business, while Tyler wants to become a doctor. Protagonist The protagonist, or main character of this story is of course Sarny. She was never born with a last name as she grew up on a plantation as an African-American slave. When Sarny gets her children sold to another plantation owner, she is deeply hurt. However, when she is set free by the Union troops, she goes and looks for her children right away. Sarny meets quite a few people along the way, but eventually finds her beloved children. Antagonist The antagonists of this story are the white racist people of the South. Waller, the plantation owner, who once owned Sarny and sold her children; the gray Confederate soldiers who are fighting for slavery to stay; and the people who keep burning Sarny's schools down, and kill her husband.

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