Characters

The main character of the short story “Tin Man” by Jennifer Kerslake is the unnamed narrator, a nine-year-old girl who is supposed to play Tin Man in a school play of The Wizard of Oz. The narrator is still grieving the death of her mother and is afraid that her father will not be able to make her a costume for the play. The narrator’s distrust in her father’s ability to make her a costume becomes symbolic of her overall doubt that her father will be able to take care of her as well as her mother used to.

The narrator’s father is also an important character in the story. The father is also struggles to deal with the loss of his wife and feels frustrated because he does not seem to be able to connect with his daughter anymore. His attempt to make her a costume shows that he tries to take care of her despite his doubts.

You can read a full characterization of the narrator and his father in the following pages