When Scarlett and Bod enter the barrow grave for the first time, the Indigo Man appears to frighten them. Scarlett doesn’t have the Freedom of the Graveyard like Bod does, so the fact that even she can see the Indigo Man makes it clear that he isn’t a ghost. Instead, he’s a “scarecrow” designed to frighten would-be grave robbers. He looks like he’s been dead a long time and has purple-blue designs either tattooed or painted on his face.
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The Indigo Man Character Timeline in The Graveyard Book
The timeline below shows where the character The Indigo Man appears in The Graveyard Book. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...corpse on the floor. Both children hear a “rustling slither” as a dead man, the Indigo Man , walks toward them. He has purple designs on his skin and says that he’s...
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As the Indigo Man howls menacingly, Scarlett apologizes for saying the ghosts are imaginary. Bod, however, says this one...
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Chapter 4
Bod decides to visit the Indigo Man ’s tomb. He climbs down the steps into the stone chamber. The Sleer coils around...
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Chapter 7
...imaginary friend from childhood, Bod mentions that they went into the barrow grave, saw the Indigo Man , and met the Sleer. At this, Scarlett remembers everything and wakes up.
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