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King Coal · Character

Red Mary

A fiery Irish miner whose defiant cry for union and courage cuts through the silence of the coal camp.

supporting

Also known as Mary, Red-faced feller

First appearance: i

As a supporting figure in King Coal, Red Mary is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Red Mary bursts in, half-fainting, reporting that the company is beating back women and hiding the true death toll.
In the storyXXIIIOpen this moment free

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Mary Burke, called Red Mary, is a miner's daughter whose grey eyes flash with defiance when others whisper. She names the dread word 'union' aloud in the Rafferty home, shaming the men who fear to speak it. Her boldness…

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The fuller portrait of Red Mary sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Red Mary in i

Character Web

2 connections

A slice of how Red Mary sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

JSJoe SmithHWHal WarnerRMRed Mary

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Minor miners and community members
  • Mine management and antagonists
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the dramatic climax because Mary reaches an emotional and psychological peak by confronting her own je…

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In the story

Red Mary appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Red Mary unlock in the free preview.

See Red Mary in i