Presley

Annixter

Annixter and Presley are close friends and confidants, with Annixter often grounding Presley's idealism with practical, blunt advice.

Magnus Derrick

Magnus Derrick is a father figure and mentor to Presley, sharing his ideals and frustrations about the railroad's oppression.

Vanamee

Presley and Vanamee are intellectual companions, with Vanamee's mystical and romantic worldview influencing Presley's poetic sensibilities.

Minna Hooven

Minna Hooven is a poor farm girl who interacts with Presley as a sympathetic acquaintance, representing the human cost of the railroad's greed.

Cedarquist

Cedarquist is a wealthy industrialist and patron who befriends Presley, offering him a broader perspective on capitalism and reform.

Hilma Tree

Hilma Tree is a kind and gentle presence in Presley's life, offering him warmth and a connection to the human side of the ranching community.

Harran Derrick

Harran Derrick and Presley are close friends and fellow idealists, sharing a vision of justice against the railroad's tyranny.

Dyke

Dyke is a former railroad engineer turned hop farmer who becomes a tragic figure and friend to Presley after being ruined by the railroad's rate hikes.

Annixter

Annixter and Presley are close friends and confidants, with Annixter often grounding Presley's idealism with practical, blunt advice.

Magnus Derrick

Magnus Derrick is a father figure and mentor to Presley, sharing his ideals and frustrations about the railroad's oppression.

Annixter

Annixter and Presley are close friends and confidants, with Annixter often grounding Presley's idealism with practical, blunt advice.

Minna Hooven

Minna Hooven is a poor farm girl who interacts with Presley as a sympathetic acquaintance, representing the human cost of the railroad's greed.

Principal Characters in the Novel

A protégé of Magnus Derrick.

The Octopus

The poet and observer, introduced as a sensitive soul caught between the beauty of the land and the looming corporate threat.

Book I

The poet and observer, newly arrived at Los Muertos, who reflects on the beauty and brutality of the valley.

I

The poet protagonist, searching for the 'True Romance' of the West while grappling with the grim realities of the ranch and the railroad.

Chapter II

Calls Annixter to ask him to bring his bicycle to Los Muertos.

Chapter III

Present in the dining room, lounging on the sofa and smoking cigarettes during the meeting.

Chapter VI

Listens to Vanamee's mystical account and later visits Annixter's ranch, observing the preparations and the heated meeting.

Book II

Present at lunch with Vanamee at Solotari's, discussing poetry and the mystical.

Chapter I

Attends the art exhibition and social gathering, observes the crowd, and converses with Cedarquist and others.

II

Witnesses Dyke's despair and Caraher's rhetoric, feeling a blind demon of revolt rise in his heart.

Chapter III

Mentioned as having been with Vanamee earlier on the stock range of Los Muertos.

Chapter V: The Chase

Witnesses Annixter's transformation and the dramatic arrival of Dyke, reflecting on his own inadequacies.

Chapter VI

Delights in the Homeric simplicity of the feast and games; learns of the Railroad's threats to the ranches.

Chapter VII

Witnesses the aftermath of the battle, spends the night writing in his journal, consumed by rage and grief.

Chapter VIII

Tortured by guilt and rage, he seeks out Shelgrim and later attends a dinner at the Gerard mansion, where he envisions the wealthy as harpies feeding on the people.

IX

Surveys the desolate ranches, climbs the hills, reflects on the eternal force of nature, meets Vanamee, and later visits Hilma Annixter.

Conclusion

Leaves California aboard the Swanhilda, reflecting on the past drama and the larger meaning of the Wheat.