Characters

The story “Kiss” by Elizabeth Baines features three characters that are equally important for the theme and the plot because of their interconnections: the young woman, the young man with the dreadlocks, and the young man with the backpack. The three characters are unnamed because their stories are more important than their identities, and they are meant to represent relatable life situations. While the young woman and the man with dreadlocks know each other and have recently become a couple, the young man with the backpack is a stranger to them. His actions, however, could have a tragic impact on their lives. 

The story briefly mentions other characters in the Tube station. Their description draws attention to the many lives the young man with the backpack will affect if his bomb goes off – lives which are just as complex as those of the young couple.

You can read a full characterization of the young woman, the young man with the dreadlocks, and the young man with the backpack in the following pages.