King Coal · Character

Tim Rafferty

A young miner whose family's quiet decency and old wounds reveal the human cost of company rule.

supporting

Also known as Tim, young Tim, Rafferty

First appearance: i

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

Member of the Rafferty family who Hal meets early in his journey.

In the storyKing CoalOpen this moment free

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Tim Rafferty belongs to a household where the father, Old Rafferty, once gave up a tipple-boss job rather than cheat his fellow miners. Tim's youth and friendship with Hal place him among the next generation caught…

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See Tim Rafferty in i

Character Web

37 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Mine management and antagonists
Minor miners and community members
Hal's social circle and friends

+32 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

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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Relationships

Hal Warner
rivalry · negative
Tim Rafferty is a company loyalist and scab who undermines the miners' union efforts,… How this plays out →
Hal Warner
rivalry · negative
Tim Rafferty is a company loyalist and scab who undermines the miners' union efforts,… How this plays out →
Hal Warner
rivalry · negative
Tim Rafferty is a company loyalist and scab who undermines the miners' union efforts,… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Tim Rafferty in i

In the story

Tim Rafferty appears across 17 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

King Coal
Member of the Rafferty family who Hal meets early in his journey.
IX
Explains to Hal that the law requires sprinkling with adobe-dust but it is rarely enforced.
Chapter X
Mentioned as one of the individuals etching into Hal's picture, moving him to sympathy and fellowship.
XI
Hal's mule-driver friend who invites him to meet his family.
XVII
Blue-eyed Tim goes down to look for his father.
XXIII
Rafferty is one of the miners found alive in Room Seventeen, though his condition is unknown.
Chapter II
Tim, usually lighthearted, is enraged and leads the outcry about his father being cheated of damages after an accident.
Chapter III
Tim is raised on the shoulders of the crowd and made to tell his story of the disaster.
V
Tim tries to force his way into the hospital to see his father, leading to a confrontation with Cartwright.
Chapter VI
Mentioned as an obvious choice for the committee, but Hal keeps him under his eye.
VII
Appointed to the temporary committee to keep lists and funds.
VIII
Made treasurer and secretary of the union, and selected for the committee.
XII
Hal mentions Tim Rafferty and his family as an example of the injustice done by Peter Harrigan.
XIII
Tim is also taken as part of the strike committee.
Chapter XX
Angry young miner who confronts Moylan and Hal, expressing bitterness over the union's failure to support the strikers.
XXI
Initially quarrels with Moylan, then supports Hal's plan and apologizes for earlier harsh words.
XXVI
Tim is offered a job in Pedro to meet fired workers and give them union literature, as his family faces destitution.

Chapter companion notes

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See Tim Rafferty in King Coal