Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Dove

The antagonist is the character we don't like, the guy who's causing all the trouble. At first, this role goes to Dove, who after all, is the cause of Johnny's accident. However, Dove disappears for quite some time, and when he shows up again, he's no longer the person antagonizing Johnny. In fact, we realize he's not bright enough to cause much trouble.

Merchant Lyte

Merchant Lyte quickly slides into Dove's place as the antagonist. He really gives Johnny grief for a few chapters what with all that accusing him of stealing and asking for the death penalty and then trying to ship him to Guadalupe business. That's antagonistic if we ever saw it. However, Merchant Lyte's role in the novel shrinks significantly after Johnny becomes involved with the Boston Observers.

Johnny Tremain

Now we come to the heart of the problem with identifying a true antagonist: Johnny is his own worst enemy. His negative qualities, especially his pride and his quick temper, get him in trouble at every turn, and in many ways the novel is more a story of Johnny learning to conquer himself than of his overcoming an external enemy.