Character names

The obsessive scientist whose quest to conquer death unleashes the Creature and sets in motion the novel’s tragedy. Victor embodies unchecked ambition and the failure to take responsibility for one’s creations.

Victor Frankenstein-Main character

Victor’s father. His loving concern and eventual grief illustrate the collateral damage of Victor’s secretive pursuits.

Alphonse Frankenstein

Victor’s mother; her early death sets the tone of loss and fuels Victor’s desire to conquer mortality.

Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein

Victor’s youngest brother, whose murder by the Creature marks the point of no return—forcing Victor to confront the consequences of his experiment.

William Frankenstein

Victor’s adopted cousin‑fiancée. Her passive goodness and ultimate victimhood underscore the human cost of Victor’s obsession.

Elizabeth Lavenza (Frankenstein)

Victor’s younger brother; a minor victim of the family’s unraveling.

Ernest Frankenstein

Victor’s “offspring,” rejected by humanity for his deformity. Through his eloquence and suffering, he exposes themes of otherness, responsibility, and the destructive cycle of revenge

The Creature (monster)

The blind patriarch of the cottage family. His compassion toward the Creature (before seeing him) symbolizes innate human goodness unclouded by prejudice.

Father De Lacey

De Lacey’s son. Represents justice and empathy; his kindness to Safie contrasts with his horror at the Creature’s appearance, highlighting society’s superficial judgments

Felix De Lacey

De Lacey’s daughter. Her gentle care for family amplifies the Creature’s sense of what he lacks—love and belonging.

Agatha De Lacey

The “Arabian” woman Felix rescues. Learning language alongside the De Laceys, she represents hope and cultural exchange—another foil to the Creature’s isolation.

Safie

The Arctic explorer whose letters frame the narrative. Walton’s ambition parallels Victor’s, offering a cautionary mirror and the possibility of wiser choices.

Robert Walton

Walton’s sister and letter recipient; serves as his moral sounding‑board.

Margaret Saville

Victor’s childhood friend and moral foil. Clerval’s humane interests and tragic murder highlight Victor’s neglect of personal bonds and the Creature’s vengeful reach.

Henry Clerval

The Frankenstein family’s adopted servant, wrongfully executed for William’s murder. Her fate dramatizes themes of injustice and Victor’s guilt.

Justine Moritz

Inspiring chemistry professor at Ingolstadt; opens Victor to the possibilities—and dangers—of scientific pursuit.

M. Waldman

Disapproving natural‑history professor; his scorn spurs Victor to defiantly pursue forbidden knowledge.

M. Krempe

Protagonist and first‑person narrator, a 26‑year‑old Black writer from 1976 Los Angeles. is the bridge between past and present; her repeated rescues of Rufus anchor the plot and force her to confront the brutal realities of slavery while preserving her own lineage.

Dana Franklin (kindred)

Dana’s white husband, a writer/photographer who follows her once into the past.

Kevin Franklin (Kindred)

White son of the Weylin plantation owner; Dana’s ancestor whose life she must repeatedly save. As the progenitor through whom Dana descends, Rufus embodies the moral complexity of slavery—his dependence on Dana’s mercy clashes with his exercise of power over her

Rufus Weylin (kindred)

Rufus’s father and brutal owner of the Weylin plantation. Tom represents the institutional violence of slavery—his whip and orders drive home the constant threat enslaved people face, and his cruelty to Dana cements her understanding of white supremacy.

Tom Weylin (kindred)

Rufus’s mother; wife of Tom Weylin, who descends into opium addiction after personal tragedies. Margaret’s indulgence of Rufus and her retreat into addiction illustrate the corrosive effects of privilege and grief, as well as the ways women were constrained even within the ruling class.

Margaret “Mary” Weylin (kindred)

Free Black woman in 1810s Maryland; Rufus’s coerced concubine and mother of Hagar. Alice’s transformation from relative freedom to enslavement dramatizes the fragility of Black autonomy; her tragic fate—suicide—underscores the novel’s darkest cost.

Alice Greenwood (later Alice Weylin)(kindred)

Daughter of Rufus and Alice; Dana’s direct ancestor. Hagar embodies the next generation that Dana fights to protect; her very existence justifies Dana’s dangerous interventions.

Hagar Weylin (kindred)

Enslaved cook and domestic manager on the Weylin plantation; Dana’s ancestor. Sarah’s survival is literally Dana’s lifeline—if Sarah dies, Dana cannot exist. Sarah also represents the emotional labor and resilience of enslaved women.

Sarah (Kindred)

Sarah’s mute daughter; helps Dana adapt to plantation life. Carrie’s bond with Dana provides Dana with her first ally in the past; Carrie’s vulnerability highlights the stakes of Dana’s mission.Carrie’s bond with Dana provides Dana with her first ally in the past; Carrie’s vulnerability highlights the stakes of Dana’s mission.

Carrie (kindred)

Son of Luke (an overseer) and an enslaved woman; childhood friend of Rufus. Dana teaches Nigel to read, symbolizing resistance through education; his later escape attempts showcase the drive for freedom.

Nigel (kindred)

Slave overseer on the Weylin plantation; Nigel’s father. Luke’s ambiguous position—enforcing slave discipline yet sharing blood with Nigel—illustrates the tangled loyalties forced by slavery.

Luke (kindred)

Jealous house slave who betrays Dana’s escape plan, leading to Dana’s whipping. Liza’s betrayal underscores the impossible choices enslaved people faced under threat of violence.

Liza (kindred)

Enslaved woman sexually abused by overseers. Tess’s suffering reveals the sexual violence endemic to slavery and foreshadows Dana’s own vulnerability.

Tess (kindred)

White overseer who abuses Tess. His cruelty exemplifies the lawless power white men wielded over Black bodies.

Jake Edwards (kindred)

Field slave who works alongside Nigel. Sam’s hope that Dana will teach his family to read highlights literacy as a form of resistance.

Sam (kindred)

Alice’s first husband on the Weylin plantation; he briefly fights Rufus to protect her, is brutally mutilated (ears cut off), and then sold “to Mississippi” — his fate starkly illustrates slavery’s violence and raises the stakes for Dana’s mission to preserve her lineage.

Issac Jackson (kindred)

A respected physicist and Tsinghua professor whose public execution in a 1967 struggle session radicalizes his daughter Ye Wenjie—setting her on the path to betray humanity.

Ye Zhetai (3body)

Ye Zhetai’s wife, a physicist who denounces him to save herself—her betrayal exemplifies the era’s moral collapse and deepens Wenjie’s disillusionment with humankind.

Shao Lin (3body)

Astrophysicist and narrator of Part I; she secretly contacts the Trisolaran civilization at Red Coast Base, thus unleashing the central extraterrestrial threat.

Ye Wenjie (3body)

Wenjie’s younger sister and zealous Red Guard, murdered in factional violence—her death cements Wenjie’s break from humanity and justifies her later actions.

Ye Wenxue (3body)

Political commissar who recruits Ye Wenjie to Red Coast; when he discovers her secret transmissions, she murders him—demonstrating her commitment to contact the aliens.

Lei Zhicheng (3body)

Chief engineer and former student of Ye Zhetai; marries Wenjie, then is killed by her to cover up the Trisolaran communications—underscoring her moral descent.

Yang Weining (3body)

Daughter of Wenjie and Weining; a string theorist who later kills herself in the present day—her suicide is one of the first modern signs of the Trisolaran mental probe.

Yang Dong (3body)

Nanomaterials researcher pulled into the mystery by a countdown in his vision; his investigation of scientist suicides drives the bulk of the contemporary narrative.

Wang Miao (3body)

“Da Shi,” a hard‑boiled detective whose street‑smart tactics and blunt questioning expose ETO conspiracies—his pragmatism balances Wang’s scientific idealism

Shi Qiang (3body)

Theoretical physicist and Yang Dong’s partner; he helps Wang interpret Trisolaran physics and symbolizes the human thirst for knowledge.

Ding Yi (3body)

PLA major‑general who leads China’s military response; he transforms scientific insight into strategic planning against the alien threat

Chang Weisi (3body)

U.S. Marine officer commanding Operation Guzheng; his involvement shows the global stakes and international cooperation against Trisolaris.

Colonel Stanton (3body)

Radical environmentalist billionaire who funds the ETO; his “pan‑species communism” ideology aligns him with Trisolaris against humanity.

Mike Evans (3body)

Biologist leading the radical “Adventist” faction; he murders Shen Yufei to ensure invasion proceeds—embodying betrayal and fanaticism

Pan Han (3body)

Math prodigy and Yufei’s husband; his evolution‑based solution offers hope for coexistence, making him a target of extremists.

Wei Cheng (3body)

Chinese‑Japanese physicist leading the “Redemptionist” faction; she seeks a peaceful solution to save Trisolarans, representing idealistic collaboration

Shen Yufei (3body)

Patriarch who buys the “Happylife Home”; his desire for comfort over parenting lets the nursery addict his children—driving the story’s tragic climax.

George Hadley (Veldt)

Matriarch whose unease with the nursery foreshadows its menace; her intuition goes unheeded, highlighting the cost of ignoring maternal wisdom.

Lydia Hadley (veldt)

Ten‑year‑old son whose entitlement fuels the veldt simulation; his cold refusal to obey parents shows how technology can warp childhood.

Peter Hadley (veldt)

Ten‑year‑old daughter and Peter’s partner‑in‑crime; together they weaponize the nursery’s illusions against their parents.

Wendy Hadley (veldt)

Child psychologist called in to assess the nursery; his recommendation to shut it down sets the final confrontation in motion.

Dr. David McClean (veldt)

Protagonist whose obsession with overheard neighbors’ lives reveals her own marital anxieties and loss of privacy.

Irene Westcott (enormous radio)

Irene’s husband; his casual purchase of the radio unleashes the moral decay the story examines.

Jim Westcott (enormous radio)

Neighbor whose intimate disputes Irene spies on, symbolizing the dark undercurrents in seemingly perfect lives.

Miss Armstrong (enormous radio)

The Westcotts’ servant; her off‑hand remarks heard on the radio underscore class tensions and hidden resentments.

Maid (enormous radio)

Neighbor whose financial woes Irene overhears, illustrating how the radio exposes private suffering

Mr. Osborn (enormous radio)

Husband of Mrs. Hutchinson; his concerns about medical costs highlight economic anxieties beneath suburban calm.

Mr. Hutchinson (enormous radio)

Neighbor battling cancer; her vulnerability contrasts the Westcotts’ relative comfort.

Mrs. Hutchinson (enormous radio)

Neighbor with heart problems; her illness adds to the tapestry of private pain revealed

Mrs. Meliville (enormous radio)

Neighbor facing job loss; his plight emphasizes the era’s looming economic insecurities.

Mr. Hendricks (enormous radio)

Bored housewife whose intrusive fantasies of killing her husband drive the psychological tension; her final act blurs thought and deed.

Margaret (What a Thought)

Unnamed; his passive presence ignites Margaret’s murderous imaginings, making him both victim and catalyst

Margaret’s Husband

Unnamed third‑person voice that plunges into Margaret’s psyche, heightening the story’s claustrophobic intensity.

Narrator (enormous radio)

The mysterious aristocrat who secretly is a vampire. His charm ensnares Aubrey, leads to Ianthe’s death by blood-letting, and ultimately drags Aubrey into horror and despair

Lord Ruthven, The Vampyre

Rich, bored orphan who travels across Europe with Lord Ruthven. Pledges to Ruthven to conceal his crimes. Falls for Ianthe. Aubrey, The Vampyre

Naive, virtuous young women who Aubrey falls for. Gets killed by Ruthven.

Ianthe, The Vampyre

A brilliant scientist obsessed with eradicating the tiny hand-shaped birthmark on his wife’s cheek. His experiments drive the story’s tension, and his refusal to accept human imperfection leads to Georgiana’s death

Aylmer, The Birthmark

Aylmer’s devoted wife, whose birthmark—once admired—becomes the object of her husband’s horror. Her willingness to submit to any risk to please him underscores the tale’s moral on the costs of “perfection.

Georgiana, The Birthmark

Aylmer’s earthy assistant, who contrasts the scientist’s lofty ambitions. His final chuckle at Georgiana’s fate highlights the story’s theme of materiality triumphing over spirit

Aminadab, The Birthmark

An American traveler who, hearing unearthly screams, unlocks a monk’s cell. His curiosity sets loose the captive evil and leaves him haunted by its return.

David Ellington (narrarator), The Howling Man

The gentle monk charged with watching over the howling captive. His faith in containment and plea for “rest” contrast with Ellington’s urge to investigate.

Brother Christophorous, The Howling Man

The prisoner in the locked cell—implied to be the Devil—whose tormented cries echo through the monastery. His brief freedom and final recapture form the story’s supernatural core.

The Howling Man/Devil, The Howling Man

A child born blind on a world of beauty whose “eyes of dust” grant him strange visions. His

existence challenges the planet’s obsession with flawless appearances

Person, Eyes of Dust

The father, blinded by light, who builds a hidden dark chamber for Person and strives to understand his son’s uncanny sight.

Broomall, Eyes of Dust

The mother, marked by a mole (“moley woman”), whose love and fear for Person’s future underscore the story’s exploration of otherness and acceptance.

Ordak, Eyes of Dust

The friend who vanishes into a haunted portrait room. Her fate—caught between reality and the picture’s world—fuels the narrator’s desperate attempts at rescue.

Y, The Story We Used to Tell

Y’s schoolfriend and roommate (unnamed), whose loyalty drives her to confront the house’s malevolent magic and call in help.

Narrator (unnamed), The Story We Used To Tell

Y’s family lawyer and rescuer, whose arrival offers a fragile hope of escape—only to reveal the house’s deeper curse.

John, The Story We Used To Tell

A dissatisfied housewife, orders “The New You” and becomes sleek, confident. Her transformation—and the discovery that her old self still lingers—drives a dark comedy of identity and desire

Martha/Marine, The New You

Martha’s husband, initially indifferent, then enamored by “new” Marnie. His role highlights the superficial basis of Martha’s worth and the instability of her reinvention

Howard, The New You

The residual, dowdy self locked away in the closet. Her persistence symbolizes the inescapability of one’s true nature, even after radical change

Old Martha, The New You