Who is the antagonist in Where the Red Fern Grows?

The protagonist and narrator of the novel. The older Billy Colman is a man in his fifties who feels compelled to relive the memories of his Ozark mountain youth after rescuing a hound from a… read analysis of Billy Colman

Billy’s father is a thoughtful, supportive, and hardworking man who does all he can to provide for his family. Though the novel is relayed through Billy’s eyes, meaning that the specifics of Papa’s past… read analysis of Billy’s Father / Papa

Billy’s paternal grandfather is a kind and scrappy old man who runs a small general store serving a remote Ozark mountain town. A spitfire of a man who loves his family and community, Grandpa… read analysis of Billy’s Grandfather / Grandpa

The larger of Billy’s hounds. Old Dan is bolder and more aggressive than his sister and littermate, Little Ann. Dan eventually grows to be larger and more physically powerful, but he often finds… read analysis of Old Dan

Billy’s mother is a kind, religious, and anxious woman who dreams of one day moving her family from their Ozark home into the city where they can have access to better educations and more… read analysis of Billy’s Mother / Mama

Another Ozark mountain youth who is part of the infamous and insular Pritchard clan of bootleggers and thieves. A large, imposing boy two years Billy’s senior, Rubin is a bully through and through. When… read analysis of Rubin Pritchard

Rubin’s younger brother Rainie is a young boy about Billy’s age. Nervous, shifty, and always looking to make a bet, Rainie is wily and excitable. Rainie is the one who suggests Billy take… read analysis of Rainie Pritchard

Minor Characters

The Marshal

A kindly marshal in Tahlequah. The marshal is large and intimidating, but Billy recognizes him as a friend rather than a fearsome figure of authority after the marshal rescues Billy from a gang of cruel children (the Tahlequah kids) who tease, taunt, and beat Billy for being a “hillbilly.”

The Stationmaster

A kindly stationmaster in Tahlequah who helps Billy unpack his puppies from the crate in which they were shipped. The stationmaster watches Billy’s emotional first meeting with his dogs and declares that it seems like the pups “already know [him.]”

Billy’s Sisters

Billy’s younger sisters, always represented as a gaggle of excitable and emotional children.

The Judge

The judge assigned to evaluate Billy and his hounds’ performances during the hunting competition toward the end of the novel. The judge is impressed and deeply moved by the close relationship Billy shares with his hound dogs—and with the dogs’ love for and loyalty to one another.

Mr. Benson and Mr. Kyle

Two fellow hunters who come to Billy and his family’s aid after they spend a long night hunting in a terrible snowstorm. Mr. Benson and Mr. Kyle both marvel at the depths of Billy’s dogs’ loyalty to their master, to the hunt, and to one another.

Tahlequah Kids

A gang of cruel children who tease Billy and pick on him for being a “hillbilly” and even harass his brand-new hound puppies.

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• The protagonist of Where the Red Fern Grows. At the start of the novel he is ten years old. He has three younger sisters. He is filled with "puppy love"--he wants a dog badly. He is a brave boy, full of determination and grit.

• Old Dan is one of Billy's red bone coonhounds. He is bigger and stronger than Little Ann, the other hound. He will never leave a raccoon once he is on its trail, although sometimes his impatience gets the best of him, and he loses the trail.

• Little Ann is one of Billy's red bone coonhounds. She is smaller but smarter than Old Dan. She is a beautiful hound, and will not stop hunting until she knows exactly where the coon is hiding. No coon can trick her. For a hound, she is extremely playful.

• Billy's papa is a good, honest farmer. He is poor, but is working hard so his family can move to the city. Once Billy buys his hounds, he starts to treat Billy like a man.

• Billy's grandfather runs a general store and a small mill. His store is a place where coon hunters gather to talk about hunting. He is full of imagination, and gets Billy into a lot of adventures.

• Billy's mama is part Cherokee. She is very religious and always enjoys answering Billy's questions about God. She worries about him when he is hunting, but is also very proud of him. She wants very much to move to town so the children can get a good education.

• Billy has three sisters, all younger than him. They help with chores, but are often too little to understand what is going on.

• Ruben is the older of the two Pritchard brothers. They come from a strange, disliked family. Ruben is full of insults and ready to fight. While on a hunt with Billy and Rainie, he falls on an axe and dies.

• Rainie is the younger of the two Pritchard brothers. They come from a strange, disliked family. Rainie is not very bright, but he is full of tricks and is always trying to make bets.

Asked by bookragstutor on 20 Aug 12:54

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Answered by Cat on 16 Feb 03:57

If we were to pick an antagonist in the story, I might consider Rubin. Rubin is aggressive and mean. He tries to cheat and hurt Billy as well as hurt his dogs.

Protagonist: The protagonist in the book Where the Red Fern Grows is Billy.  Billy is in this category because he is a good friend and a good kid to his family and most important his dogs.  Billy is the overall most caring person in this book. This is why he fits this category of Protagonist. Antagonist: The antagonist is Ruben and Rainy Pritchard because they hated Billy all throughout the story.  Like at one part Ruben tries to kill Old Dan, one of Billy's coon dogs.   Also because Ruben has always been trying to be better than Billy or beat him at everything.  Ruben in general dislikes Billy.  Rainy is always on Rubens side with everything.  She tries to make Billy's  life worse.

Conflict: There are many conflicts that go on in this book and continue throughout the story. The biggest conflicts that occur are listed here in order as they occur.  Billy works hard to get his pups.  On his way to pick the pups up he encounters a group of kids and a stationmaster who start to tease him.   You think this is bad?   Well it gets worse.  He gets away from the crowd and finally gets his dogs home safely.  Night comes and he is forced to go in a cave for the night with his two new dogs he named Little Ann and Old Dan.  While they are in the cave they can hear a cougar in the distance.  Billy has to defend his new pups by throwing rocks.  One of the  last and biggest  conflicts of this book is when  Ruben tries to attack Billy's dog, Old Dan because Old Dan tried to kill Old Blue(Ruben's dog).  This is a very exciting story and due to the ongoing conflicts this read will keep you on the edge of your seat!!