Benny Alden

Character Analysis

As the youngest of the Alden clan, 5-year-old Benny is the most impulsive, impractical, and playful of the children. In the first scene, when his brother chooses bread for dinner, Benny votes for cake. (We feel you, Benny.) He's also a truth-teller: After meeting the baker's wife, Benny says, "I'm glad she is gone. She doesn't like us" (1.36)—and he's not wrong. It's not that he's rude; he's just too young to censor himself, helping make sure young readers stay on top of what's going on. Perhaps the funniest of these moments in the book is when he finds out that Mr. Alden is his grandfather: "I thought you were old […] and cross" (12.51), Benny says, reminding readers that Mr. A. is someone the children have feared until now.

The least-developed character among the Boxcar Children, Benny's primary characteristic is being hungry. He's one-dimensional, but then again, 5-year-olds are pretty one-dimensional in real life. At a young age, children aren't worried so much about other people; they tend to focus on their own needs. In creating such a realistic portrait of a little boy, Warner reminds us of the stakes: Though it often seems like the Alden children are playing house, they are technically homeless and living in the woods. Benny's constant whining shows us that he's a little kid who must be provided for, and those needs emphasize all of the weight on Henry's and Jessie's shoulders.

Though he's always willing to help and isn't afraid of hard work, Benny is a kid and therefore more likely to give in to his impulses: "For a little while Benny ran around finding sticks for the broom, but he soon went to sleep on the ground with the dog for a pillow" (6.32). Classic little kid, right? But, at the same time, we see the values of his older siblings beginning to take root in him. When he, Jessie, and Violet scavenge for dishes at the dump, Benny finds a special pink cup, and though it has a "big crack in it" (5.35), it becomes his most treasured possession. Like his siblings, Benny can look on the bright side, no matter how little he is.