Tom Walker Character Analysis in The Great Alone

Tom Walker is the father of Matthew and Alyeska Walker, as well as the ex-husband of Geneva Walker. Tom’s parents, Eckhart and Lily Walker, were among the first settlers of Kaneq. As a result, Tom has a lot of power and money; he is regarded as the leader of the town. However, some members of the community do not like Tom because of his status, particularly Ernt and Earl, who find him condescending. Throughout the novel, Tom attempts to modernize Kaneq, a move that is welcomed by some, but despised by the likes of Ernt and Earl. Additionally, Tom is not afraid to stand up to Ernt. When Tom learns of Ernt’s abusive behavior, he—along with Marge—takes action to help Leni and Cora. Among other things, he gets Ernt sent away for several winters to work on a pipeline and rescues Cora when she drives off the road. Although Tom is generally a happy man, he becomes a melancholy figure after the death of his ex-wife and Matthew’s accident. Nonetheless, when he learns Leni is in jail, he quickly gets her charges dropped and takes care of MJ in the meantime. By the end of the novel, Tom regains some of his former happiness; he marries a native woman, Atki, and gets to see Matthew and Leni live happily with children.

Tom Walker Quotes in The Great Alone

The The Great Alone quotes below are all either spoken by Tom Walker or refer to Tom Walker . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Every window was broken, the door had been hacked to bits, left as sharp shards of wood hanging from brass hinges, and white spray-painted graffiti covered the burnt walls. THIS IS A WARNING. STAY AWAY. ARROGANT PRICK. NO PROGRESS.

Related Characters: Ernt Allbright, Tom Walker

Page Number and Citation: 233

Explanation and Analysis:

Tom Walker Character Timeline in The Great Alone

The timeline below shows where the character Tom Walker appears in The Great Alone. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...find a number of friendly faces, including Marge and Leni’s teacher, Ms. Rhodes. Before long, Tom Walker comes and introduces himself to the Allbrights. Tom is Matthew’s father as well as... (full context)

After meeting Tom, Leni hears Matthew calling her name. The two teenagers run off into the woods and... (full context)

...Leni wakes up and helps her father with some manual labor. Ernt tries to badmouth Tom Walker, so Leni lies to him and says that Tom told her that he thinks... (full context)

...their extreme rhetoric. The men dismiss her and keep talking. In his speech, Ernt disparages Tom Walker, who he thinks would be useless in the type of scenario he is predicting.... (full context)

...that both are drinking heavily and that Ernt is jealous when he sees Cora console Tom Walker. Cora and Thelma tell the men to have some respect on the day of... (full context)

...quiet for the Allbrights until Ernt begins an argument with Cora about how she touched Tom Walker. Tensions continue to rise on the drive home and when they arrive at the... (full context)

...van at the Kicking Moose—the local bar. Before they can make their way to Ernt, Tom Walker and Marge come out of Marge’s store and ask why Leni and Cora are... (full context)

Cora and Leni know Tom’s actions have only made things worse. No one talks on the drive home, but Cora... (full context)

...arm. Cora tells Leni that she must climb out of the van and go to Tom Walker for help. Cora herself cannot move because of the broken arm. Leni is scared,... (full context)

Now at the hospital, Tom comforts Leni while Cora is seen by doctors. They briefly talk about Matthew to take... (full context)

...to understand how she could be so deeply in denial. After this conversation, Marge and Tom arrive and tell Ernt and Cora to sit down at the table. Ernt protests, but... (full context)

...for herself in Alaska. During the same period of time, Ernt has gone along with Tom and Marge’s plan. He spends his winters working on the pipeline and provides for his... (full context)

When Leni arrives home from her hunting trip, she finds Marge, Tom, and Cora playing cards. Leni begins butchering her sheep—an activity that is now part of... (full context)

...he denies any wrongdoing. Ernt’s arrival breeds tension among the household, particularly between Ernt and Tom. Cora immediately moves to comfort her husband and before long the two of them move... (full context)

...a fact that angers several of the locals, including Ernt. Due to these recent changes, Tom calls a town meeting, which the Allbrights attend. From the start of the meeting, Ernt... (full context)

Ernt spends the next day fuming and talking to the Harlan family about how Tom is going to ruin Kaneq. He believes any attempts to modernize Kaneq will eventually make... (full context)

...graffiti reading, “THIS IS A WARNING. STAY AWAY. ARROGANT PRICK. NO PROGRESS.” As soon as Tom catches sight of Ernt, he immediately confronts him. Tom knows that Ernt is responsible, as... (full context)

...she has done for the past year. She expresses her concerns to Marge, though, like Tom, Marge tells her that everything will be fine. Leni still isn’t convinced. Later in the... (full context)

...the Walker estate. His father is there to greet him. Tensions have been high between Tom and Matthew because Matthew thinks his father blames him for his mother’s death. However, they... (full context)

In the meantime, Ernt’s anger toward Tom continues to build. Leni worries that her father will do something bad soon. While contemplating... (full context)

...and Matthew walk home together, eventually arriving at the Walker estate. Leni immediately notices that Tom is building something new and asks Matthew what it is. Matthew reveals that Tom is... (full context)

...to school. However, on the way, he stops at the Walker estate because he notices Tom’s new construction project. He gets out of the car and starts screaming at Tom, who... (full context)

...kill intruders. Ernt is convinced that an apocalyptic scenario is coming, in which people like Tom Walker will try to take his land. However, despite Earl’s support, this idea is one... (full context)

All of Kaneq attends Earl’s funeral. After the service, Tom offers to throw a party in Earl’s honor at his place. Before the Harlans can... (full context)

The night of Earl’s funeral, Marge and Tom discuss what they should do about Ernt. Matthew overhears their conversation and worries that Ernt... (full context)

...University of Anchorage. Marge tells Leni that she is going to college no matter what; Tom will pay her tuition, Thelma will give her spending money, and Marge and Ms. Rhodes... (full context)

...she tells them that she wants to go to a party at the saloon that Tom Walker is throwing in honor of the graduating seniors. However, as Leni expected, Ernt does... (full context)

...When the Allbrights arrive in town, Ernt gets out of his truck to yell at Tom Walker, who is digging a trench for a generator. While Ernt argues with Tom, Matthew... (full context)

...he will be able to breathe on his own; if he can’t, he will die. Tom, Alyeska, Cora, and Leni all gather around, praying that Matthew will be okay. The doctors... (full context)

...She listens to the radio every day for updates on Matthew’s condition, until one day Tom tells her that Matthew is being moved to a rehabilitation center in Homer. Leni tells... (full context)

A few days later, Leni makes her way to the rehabilitation center where she finds Tom. Tom tells her that it sometimes appears that Matthew is doing better, although it is... (full context)

...up. He tells her that he has no choice. Shocked, Leni asks him to call Tom Walker. (full context)

...MJ stay with her in a cell for the time being. While they wait for Tom to arrive, Leni tells MJ about him, and MJ is excited to learn that he... (full context)

After briefly catching up, Leni introduces Tom to MJ. Tom gets emotional when he sees his grandson, who looks just like Matthew.... (full context)

Following Tom and MJ’s departure, Leni sits and waits. After some time, a man named Demby Cowe... (full context)

Immediately after, Leni leaves the courtroom a free woman. Marge tells her that Tom called the governor and managed to get her charges dismissed. Marge then takes Leni by... (full context)

While Atki plays with MJ, Tom and Leni discuss Matthew. Leni wants to see Matthew by herself, so Tom takes her... (full context)

...MJ how to skip rocks, just as he had previously taught Leni. While they play, Tom explains to Leni that Matthew was convinced she’d come back; it didn’t take him long... (full context)

Tom Walker Character Analysis

Tom Walker Quotes in The Great Alone

Chapter 13 Quotes

Tom Walker Character Timeline in The Great Alone