Characters

The most important character in the short story is Bojan, whose perspective the third person narrator has access to. The father and Mrs Senka are secondary characters, but they are relevant for the way Bojan relates to them. Although not a human character, Kaiser is relevant for the way the other characters relate to it and what it symbolises.

Below, you will find short characterisations of Mrs Senka and Kaiser. We will characterise Bojan and his father on the following pages, as there is much to say about them. 

Mrs Senka

Mrs Senka is a secondary character in the story “The Sentry” by Téa Obreht and symbolises the mother figure for Bojan. Her outer characterisation reveals that she is “the housekeeper” (l. 7), but she also takes care of Bojan. Her physical portrait is conveyed using Bojan’s perspective: “The housekeeper, Mrs Senka, was a tired woman with dry yellow hair resembling frayed rope…” (ll. 5-6)

Inner characterisation

Mrs Senka’s inner characterisation is conveyed through Bojan’s perspective, he...