# Winesburg, Ohio — Character guide

> Key figures in Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson.

- [George Willard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/george_willard.md): Young reporter for the Winesburg Eagle, central figure connecting many stories.
- [Jesse Bentley](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/jesse_bentley.md): Ambitious, religious patriarch of the Bentley farm, obsessed with legacy.
- [Louise Bentley](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/louise_bentley.md): Unhappy daughter of Jesse Bentley, married to John Hardy.
- [Seth Richmond](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/seth_richmond.md): Quiet, thoughtful young man who struggles with his feelings for Helen White.
- [Tom Foster](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/tom_foster.md): Young man who turns to drink after a profound emotional experience.
- [Alice Hindman](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/alice_hindman.md): Woman who waits years for a lover who never returns, leading to a crisis.
- [David Hardy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/david_hardy.md): Grandson of Jesse Bentley, flees his grandfather's religious fervor.
- [Elmer Cowley](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/elmer_cowley.md): Young man who feels like an outsider and desperately wants to be normal.
- [Joe Welling](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/joe_welling.md): Enthusiastic, fast-talking man whose ideas overwhelm everyone around him.
- [Enoch Robinson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/enoch_robinson.md): Artist who creates an imaginary world to escape loneliness in New York.
- [Wash Williams](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/wash_williams.md): Bitter telegraph operator, misogynistic after a failed marriage.
- [Helen White](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/helen_white.md): Beautiful daughter of the banker, object of affection for several young men.
- [Elizabeth Willard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/elizabeth_willard.md): George's mother, a woman with unfulfilled dreams and a troubled past.
- [Ray Pearson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/ray_pearson.md): Farmhand who regrets his early marriage and warns a younger man.
- [Kate Swift](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/kate_swift.md): Passionate schoolteacher who tries to mentor George Willard.
- [Tom Willard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/tom_willard.md): George's father, a boastful and ineffectual hotel owner.
- [Wing Biddlebaum](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/wing_biddlebaum.md): Former teacher with expressive hands, haunted by a scandal.
- [Doctor Parcival](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/doctor_parcival.md): Eccentric doctor who tells strange stories and fears being hanged.
- [Hal Winters](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/hal_winters.md): Young farmer known for his strength and wild behavior.
- [Doctor Reefy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/doctor_reefy.md): Old doctor who writes thoughts on paper pills and marries Elizabeth Willard.
- [Adolph Myers](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/adolph_myers.md): Wing Biddlebaum's former identity as a teacher in Pennsylvania.
- [Belle Carpenter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/belle_carpenter.md): Young woman who works in a store and dates Ed Handby.
- [Ed Handby](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/ed_handby.md): Bartender who competes with George Willard for Belle Carpenter.
- [Ned Currie](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/ned_currie.md): Young man who leaves Winesburg and Alice Hindman behind.
- [Louise Trunnion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/louise_trunnion.md): Young woman who has a brief sexual encounter with George Willard.
- [Virginia Richmond](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/virginia_richmond.md): Seth Richmond's mother, a widow who runs a farm.
- [Enoch Bentley](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/enoch_bentley.md): Jesse Bentley's brother, who leaves the farm for the city.
- [Ebenezer Cowley](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/ebenezer_cowley.md): Elmer Cowley's father, a storekeeper in Winesburg.
- [Louise Hardy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/louise_hardy.md): Daughter of John Hardy, sister of David Hardy.
- [John Hardy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/john_hardy.md): Banker who marries Louise Bentley, father of David.
- [Tom Hard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/tom_hard.md): Father of Tandy Hard, a man with a violent temper.
- [Windpeter Winters](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/windpeter_winters.md): Hal Winters' father, a violent drunkard killed in a train accident.
- [Will Henderson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/will_henderson.md): Editor of the Winesburg Eagle, George Willard's boss.
- [Tom King](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/tom_king.md): Husband of Sarah King, a farmer who dies young.
- [Henry Carpenter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/henry_carpenter.md): Belle Carpenter's father, a stern and religious man.
- [Henry Brattenburg](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/henry_brattenburg.md): Young man who works at the livery stable.
- [Hop Higgins](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/hop_higgins.md): Town night watchman who patrols the streets.
- [Tom Little](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/tom_little.md): Man who runs a livery stable in Winesburg.
- [Mook](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/mook.md): Half-witted farmhand on the Bentley farm.
- [Sarah King](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/sarah_king.md): Widow who becomes the object of Reverend Hartman's desire.
- [Wesley Moyer](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/wesley_moyer.md): Young man who works at the livery stable.
- [Tandy Hard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/tandy_hard.md): Young girl renamed Tandy by a stranger in town.
- [Harriet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/harriet.md): Sister of Seth Richmond, mentioned in passing.
- [Nell Gunther](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/nell_gunther.md): Young woman who works at the hotel dining room.
- [Mary Hardy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/mary_hardy.md): Daughter of John Hardy, sister of David.
- [Mrs. White](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/mrs_white.md): Helen White's mother, a socialite in Winesburg.
- [Tony Tip](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/tony_tip.md): Young boy who works at the livery stable.
- [Turk Smollet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/turk_smollet.md): Young man who works at the livery stable.
- [Art Wilson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/art_wilson.md): Young man who works at the livery stable.
- [Gertrude Wilmot](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/gertrude_wilmot.md): Woman who runs a boarding house in Winesburg.
- [Old Tom Bentley](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/old_tom_bentley.md): Father of Jesse and Enoch Bentley, a farmer.
- [Young John](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/young_john.md): Young man who works at the livery stable.
- [Clarence Richmond](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/clarence_richmond.md): Virginia Richmond's deceased husband, Seth's father.
- [Thad Grayback](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/thad_grayback.md): Man who runs a livery stable in Winesburg.
- [Mabel](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters/mabel.md): Young woman who works at the hotel dining room.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/winesburg_ohio_se/characters