Short Fiction · Character
Martin Stoner
A penniless wanderer who knocks at a farmhouse door for shelter and is mistaken for a long-absent heir before he can say a word.
supporting
Also known as Stoner
First appearance: the mouse
As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Martin Stoner is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
The protagonist, a desperate wanderer mistaken for Tom Prike, who accepts the false identity for shelter and food.
Stoner arrives at the farm soaked and starving, and the old servant greets him as Master Tom, dead four years to the family. He eats, accepts a bed, and wakes to the cold realization that he has been handed another man's inheritance and another man's estrangement. His dilemma matters because the story's tension is whether he can slip away before the fraud thrust upon him is discovered.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
58 connectionsA slice of how Martin Stoner sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Socially overwhelmed characters
- Social confusion catalysts
- Protagonist
- Name-based social amusement
+53 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Egbert…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingIn the story
Martin Stoner 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 Martin Stoner unlock in the free preview.
See Martin Stoner in the mouse