Characters

The short story “The Splinter” by Ron Carlson has only four characters: the narrator, his son Rick, his boss Damon, and Damon’s girlfriend, Veronica. 

The story focuses on the relationship between characters, especially the one between the narrator and Rick.

Veronica takes on the role of listener, both for Rick and for the narrator. Rick opens up to her, although he only talks about school and how his father can cook. Veronica appears empathetic and aware of the narrator’s difficult situation.

Damon acts as Rick’s playmate, inventing games to keep him distracted and convincing him to let the adults take a look at the splinter. While he appears tactless at times, Damon clearly wants to help the narrator and Rick.

You can read a full characterization of the narrator and Rick, as well as an analysis of the relationship between the characters in the following pages.