Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Piper Williams

Okay, so Piper's not really a bad guy. But although she isn't out to destroy the world, her schemes constantly provide conflict in the story—especially for our protagonist, Moose. Moose tries to evade Piper's dangerous ideas on the regular, and runs into trouble every time he finds himself hanging around her. Trouble is the last thing Moose needs, and since Piper brings it in spades, though she's not a totally terrible human, she's definitely an antagonistic presence in his life.

Natalie

Let's get one thing clear: Natalie is not a bad person. Not in the slightest. And the ways in which she poses problems are pretty much entirely not her fault. Still, though, because of the attitudes of the time—and because Natalie requires attention and assistance other siblings her age might not—she's an antagonistic presence in the book. Much of the plot revolves around her struggle to get into school, and the struggles her family and friends have navigating her needs. By no fault of her own, Natalie is a source of much stress and drama (hey there, 105), which means she fits the antagonist bill.