# the boy — Short Fiction character guide

> the boy in Short Fiction by E. M. Forster.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0005-the-road-from-colonus

## Snapshot

An eager, unpretentious lad who stumbles into a supernatural omnibus and treats its immortal passengers with the easy familiarity of old friends.

## Who they are

He wins two return tickets to a strange destination and spends the journey racing Achilles, gossiping with Mrs. Gamp, and disappointing his cultured guardian, Mr. Bons, who had hoped for a more reverent companion. Where Bons trembles before greatness, the boy simply enjoys it, recognizing voices and swapping stories without awe. His unforced delight sets the story's central contrast between lived imagination and self-conscious cultivation.

## Relationships

### [Mr. Bons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/characters/mr_bons)

_psychological_

Mr. Bons has a manipulative or obsessive relationship with the boy, possibly as a mentor with dark undertones.

### [Mr. Bons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/characters/mr_bons)

_psychological_

Mr. Bons has a manipulative or obsessive relationship with the boy, possibly as a mentor with dark undertones.

### [Mr. Bons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/characters/mr_bons)

_psychological_

Mr. Bons has a manipulative or obsessive relationship with the boy, possibly as a mentor with dark undertones.

## In the story

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/chapters/iii)

Escapes into the woods after alighting from an olive tree; his laughter is heard in the distance.

### [The Other Side of the Hedge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/chapters/the-other-side-of-the-hedge)

The narrator's brother, left by the roadside a year or two earlier, who wasted his breath on singing and his strength on helping others.

### [The Celestial Omnibus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/chapters/the-celestial-omnibus)

The protagonist who finds the omnibus notice and embarks on a transcendent journey.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/chapters/i)

The curious protagonist who investigates the signpost and the mysterious omnibus.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/chapters/ii)

The protagonist who boards the celestial omnibus, forgets his purse, and experiences a transcendent journey.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/chapters/iii)

Punished and caned by his father for his story about the omnibus, but remains steadfast in his belief. He recites Keats and convinces Mr. Bons to accompany him on a second journey.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/characters/the_boy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_13_se/characters