Night Watch Character Analysis

ConaLee

ConaLee is the novel’s protagonist. She is a quick-thinking, caring, and compassionate person. The trauma of ConaLee’s childhood forces her to grow up fast. As Papa terrorizes Mama, Mama gradually becomes more and more… read analysis of ConaLee

Eliza (Mama/Miss Janet/Mrs. Story)

Eliza is ConaLee’s mother and Ephraim’s wife. After Ephraim leaves to fight in the U.S. Civil War and fails to return, a former Confederate soldier named Papa appears at the house in his… read analysis of Eliza (Mama/Miss Janet/Mrs. Story)

Ephraim Connolly (Night Watch/The Sharpshooter/John O’Shea)

Ephraim is ConaLee’s father and Eliza’s husband. He was born on a plantation, the son of an enslaved woman who died in childbirth and the plantation owner who died months before Ephraim was… read analysis of Ephraim Connolly (Night Watch/The Sharpshooter/John O’Shea)

Papa

Papa is the novel’s primary villain and antagonist. He is a former Confederate soldier who invades Eliza and ConaLee’s life. He tells ConaLee that he’s her biological father, and he repeatedly rapes and sexually… read analysis of Papa

Dearbhla

Dearbhla serves as an adoptive mother, in different ways, for both Eliza and Ephraim. She raises Ephraim as her own child, and she serves as Eliza’s caregiver from the time she is born. Ultimately… read analysis of Dearbhla

Dr. Story

Dr. Story is the physician superintendent of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. At the asylum, he institutes the methods of his uncle and mentor, the real-life figure of Dr. Kirkbride. Those methods consist of the… read analysis of Dr. Story

Dr. O’Shea

Dr. O’Shea is the doctor who treats Ephraim after he is wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness. The wound is life-threatening, and Ephraim credits Dr. O’Shea with saving his life. Because the injury leaves… read analysis of Dr. O’Shea

Dr. Kirkbride

Dr. Kirkbride is a real-life historical figure who is considered one of the founders of modern psychiatry in the U.S. He advocated for the idea of “moral treatment,” a method of care developed from his… read analysis of Dr. Kirkbride

Weed

Weed is a young boy who lives at the asylum and is about six or seven years old. Mrs. Hexum acts as an adoptive mother to Weed until Weed leaves the asylum to live with… read analysis of Weed

Mrs. Hexum

Mrs. Hexum is the head cook at the asylum. She takes care of Weed and five or six other children who live at the asylum without other parents. Mrs. Hexum frequently butts heads with Dr.… read analysis of Mrs. Hexum

Mrs. Bowman

Mrs. Bowman is the “Matron” at the asylum. She is in charge of overseeing the patients as well as the staff. She is suspicious of ConaLee and Eliza and doesn’t approve of Dr. Story’s… read analysis of Mrs. Bowman

Leena

Leena is Dearbhla’s mother’s closest friend. She teaches Dearbhla about herbal medicine. She also brings Ephraim to Dearbhla’s house when Ephraim is a baby and asks Dearbhla to raise him after his mother, an… read analysis of Leena

Eira

Eira is a nurse at the asylum who works most closely with Mrs. Kasinksi. ConaLee learns that Eira frequently stabs Mrs. Kasinski with a hatpin to get Mrs. Kasinski to do what she wants… read analysis of Eira

Minor Characters

Mrs. Kasinski

Mrs. Kasinksi is a patient at the asylum. She is known for giving unprovoked monologues about the assassination of President Lincoln. At one point, Eliza tells ConaLee that Mrs. Kasinski is not mentally ill but is instead doing “what she must” to survive.

Chap

Chap is ConaLee’s younger brother. He is the son of Papa and Eliza. When ConaLee, Papa, and Eliza go to the asylum, Chap goes to live with a neighbor. The neighbor and Chap are still there when ConaLee returns, and ConaLee sees him often.

Night Watch Characters