# Ruby — At the Back of the North Wind character guide

> Ruby in At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** XXIX Ruby

**First appearance:** 0030-xxix-ruby

## Snapshot

A proud, ailing boy Diamond meets in the hospital, whose temper and illness test the patience that Diamond seems to have in endless supply.

## Who they are

Ruby is sick and cross, and he does not want to be pitied or managed, which makes him a difficult companion for anyone who tries to be kind to him. Diamond's quiet persistence wears down his defenses, and the two boys form a bond that neither would have predicted. Ruby's frailty and his pride give the middle of the book a sharp, human counterweight to the wind and the dreams, and his fate is one of the things that teaches Diamond what sorrow looks like up close.

## Relationships

### [Diamond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/characters/diamond)

_friendship_

Ruby is a fellow child and friend of Diamond, with whom he shares playful and innocent interactions.

### [Diamond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/characters/diamond)

_friendship_

Ruby is a fellow child and friend of Diamond, with whom he shares playful and innocent interactions.

### [Diamond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/characters/diamond)

_friendship_

Ruby is a fellow child and friend of Diamond, with whom he shares playful and innocent interactions.

## In the story

### [The North Wind Doth Blow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/chapters/xxxi-the-north-wind-doth-blow)

Arrives and brings ill luck; falls lame for a month; is a constant weight on Joseph's mind.

### [Diamond and Ruby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/chapters/xxxii-diamond-and-ruby)

Argues with old Diamond, confesses to intentionally laming himself, and claims to be an angel-horse.

### [The Prospect Brightens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-prospect-brightens)

The fat horse, now willing and fast, showing a change in temperament.

### [In the Country](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/chapters/xxxiv-in-the-country)

Grown respectably thin; driven down to The Mound with Diamond.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/characters/ruby
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/characters