Laughing Boy · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Laughing Boy
major
Also known as Boy, So Laughing Boy, Pollen Boy
Laughing Boy is a young Navajo known for his silverwork and his uncanny feel for horses, a man whose quiet craftsmanship and easy laughter make him trusted at trading posts and around campfires. Married to Slim Girl in a ceremony almost without relatives, he finds himself guarding a private world he cannot explain to other Navajos, who ask after his wife with a certain constraint. His tenderness toward her and his willingness to try American things — whiskey, canned fruit, town ways — set him on a path where love and tradition pull in opposite directions.
Slim Girl
major
Also known as III Slim Girl, IV Slim Girl, Girl
Slim Girl returns to Navajo country fluent in the ways of American towns, running a ranch at Los Palos and arranging her life with a shrewdness that unsettles the people around her. She marries Laughing Boy in a small ceremony, then manages him with a mixture of real love and careful calculation, watching his face when she hands him his first whiskey. Her past with men like Red Man, and her ongoing dealings with an American, make her a woman whose devotion and secrecy are inseparable, and it is that tension that shapes the marriage at the center of the book.
Yellow Singer
supporting
Yellow Singer is a medicine man of the old order, called on to divide the corn mush in four directions and pray the young couple into a beautiful marriage. He grins at the feast of canned tomatoes, pop, and white bread, takes the clear liquid Slim Girl offers, and chuckles that Laughing Boy probably cannot stand it. His easy presence and his wife's sleepy sympathy give the wedding its warmth, and his willingness to bless a match almost without relatives shows how the old ceremonies can still hold when the social world around them has thinned.
Red Man
supporting
Also known as II Red Man, Watching Red Man
Red Man moves easily among the dances and trading circles, a self-willed Navajo who once thought Slim Girl might be his and who has not forgiven being used and then set aside. He adopts an attitude of smiling implications toward Laughing Boy, saying nothing outright but suggesting plenty, and the younger man feels the ground shift under him. When Laughing Boy finally rides up beside him at the water and tells him plainly to stop, Red Man studies him, decides he does not like the game that much, and backs off — for now.
Narrow Nose
minor
A Navajo character, part of Laughing Boy's community and social circle.
Wounded Face
minor
Also known as old Wounded Face
An older Navajo man, respected elder in the tribe.
Jesting Squaw
minor
Also known as Squaw, Now Jesting Squaw
A Navajo woman known for her humor and sharp tongue in the community.
Grandfather
minor
Also known as the Grandfather
An elderly Navajo man, possibly Laughing Boy's grandfather or a village elder.
Yellow Mustache
minor
A Navajo man, possibly a trader or community member.
Mountain Singer
minor
A Navajo singer and ceremonial practitioner.
Bay Horse
minor
Also known as Spotted Horse
A Navajo man, possibly a horse owner or rider.
Tsé Lani
minor
A Navajo character, possibly a medicine man or elder.
Tall Old One
minor
Also known as One
An elderly Navajo man, likely a respected elder.
Two Bows
minor
A Navajo warrior or hunter.
Slender Hair
minor
A Navajo woman, possibly a relative of Slim Girl.
Half Man
minor
A Navajo man, possibly a mixed-race character.
Lily
minor
Also known as Lillian
A white woman, possibly a teacher or missionary.
George Hartshorn
minor
Also known as George
A white trader or government agent interacting with Navajo.
Mr. Waters
minor
A white man, possibly a trader or official.
Dawn Boy
minor
Also known as Dawn Boy Hill
A Navajo character, possibly a ceremonial figure or acquaintance of Laughing Boy.
Twice Brave
minor
A Navajo warrior or notable figure in the community.
Blunt Nose
minor
Also known as Meantime Blunt Nose
A Navajo man, part of the tribal social fabric.
Ahalani
minor
A Navajo character, possibly a friend or relative of Laughing Boy.
Oljeto
minor
A Navajo man, possibly a trader or guide.
Tall Brave
minor
A Navajo warrior or notable figure.
Big Tall Man
minor
A physically imposing Navajo man in the community.
Tall Hunter
minor
A Navajo hunter and provider for the community.
Sings Before Spears
minor
A Navajo warrior or ceremonial singer.
Chiziai
minor
A Navajo woman, possibly a friend of Slim Girl.
Washindon
minor
A Navajo man, possibly a trader or traveler to Washington.
Man Hammer
minor
A Navajo man, possibly a silversmith or laborer.
Natinesthani
minor
A Navajo character, possibly a medicine man.
Straight Fingers
minor
A Navajo man, possibly a craftsman or hunter.
Tlakai
minor
Also known as T’o Tlakai
A Navajo man, possibly a relative of Laughing Boy.
Reared
minor
A Navajo character, possibly a young man or warrior.
