The Food of the Gods · Character
Skinner
A Hickleybrow farm labourer whose chicks fatten monstrously on Bensington's Herakleophorbia, until the Food gets into the family pudding and into him.
supporting
Also known as the Skinner, Mr. Skinner, Mrs. Skinner
First appearance: The Experimental Farm
As a supporting figure in The Food of the Gods, Skinner is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Farm caretaker; flees the farm with the Food after the giant chicks appear.
Skinner is the practical man on the ground at the experiment's first real test site, writing Bensington cautious letters about feed running short and a milk pudding that went disastrously wrong. He is proud of his management, boastful about the birds he and his wife raised at the other place, and quietly convinced that rank growth always stops. His farm is where the Food stops being a laboratory curiosity and becomes flesh, appetite, and consequence.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
18 connectionsA slice of how Skinner sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Professional
- Rivalry
- Other
Character groups
- Village giants and opponents
- Protagonist
+13 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 is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak where Redwood’s p…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Professor Redwood
professional · negative
Skinner is a servant and assistant to Redwood, though he becomes unreliable and… How this plays out →
- Young Redwood
rivalry · negative
- Lady Wondershoot
professional · negative
- The Vicar
social · ambivalent
- Professor Redwood
professional · negative
Skinner is a servant and assistant to Redwood, though he becomes unreliable and… How this plays out →
- Professor Redwood
professional · negative
Skinner is a servant and assistant to Redwood, though he becomes unreliable and… How this plays out →
- Young Redwood
rivalry · negative
- Lady Wondershoot
professional · negative
- Young Redwood
rivalry · negative
- Lady Wondershoot
professional · negative
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Skinner in The Experimental FarmIn the story
Skinner appears across 21 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Skinner unlock in the free preview.
See Skinner in The Experimental Farm