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When God Laughs · Character

The Boy

A young sailor on a perilous voyage.

minor

First appearance: make westing

The Boy's tie to Johnny Sheehan is one of the pressures that moves When God Laughs—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

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With Johnny Sheehan (friendship): Johnny Sheehan and The Boy have a friendly, possibly mentor-like relationship. With Johnny Sheehan (friendship): Johnny Sheehan and The Boy have a friendly, possibly mentor-like…

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The fuller portrait of The Boy sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See The Boy in make westing

Character Web

14 connections

A slice of how The Boy sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

JSJohnny SheehanMBMichael BehaneACAh ChowMTMatthew TurnerJGJohn GormanTBThe Boy

Relationship types

  • Friendship
  • Other

Character groups

  • Sailors on perilous voyages
  • Love, loss, and conflict
  • Chinese laborers in colonial justice
  • Sailors on troubled ships

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because Yi Chin Ho, facing imminent execution, shifts from passive desp…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See The Boy in make westing