Walk Two Moons Characters

Sal is the 13-year-old protagonist of the novel. Sal was born and raised on a farm in Bybanks, Kentucky, the only child of Momma and Dad—but when Momma suddenly leaves for Lewiston, Idaho and… read analysis of Salamanca “Sal” Tree Hiddle

Momma was Sal’s mother and Dad’s wife. She died before the novel’s main timeline, though she appears in Sal’s flashbacks. She was of Native American descent (though she hated the term “Native American”… read analysis of Momma/Chanhassen “Sugar” Hiddle

Sal’s father and Momma’s husband is someone Sal describes as kind, generous, and simple. He was raised by two eccentric parents, Gram and Gramps, and he loves being a farmer and touching… read analysis of Dad

Gram is Sal’s grandmother, Dad’s mother, and Gramps’s wife. Gramps affectionately refers to her as his “gooseberry.” Gram, like Gramps, is quirky and often gets into trouble—she and Gramps have been arrested… read analysis of Gram

Phoebe becomes Sal’s best friend in Euclid, Ohio. She has blond ringlets and a round face. Phoebe and her family live next door to Margaret Cadaver, and Phoebe has a wild imagination—so she… read analysis of Phoebe Winterbottom

Ben is Sal’s classmate and love interest. He lives with his cousin, Mary Lou Finney, and for most of the novel, it’s unclear where his parents are. Ben regularly draws silly cartoons of… read analysis of Ben Finney

Margaret Cadaver is, for much of the novel, an antagonist in Sal’s eyes. From Sal’s perspective, Margaret appeared suddenly in Dad’s life about the time that Momma died, and she’s the reason why… read analysis of Mrs. Margaret Cadaver

Mrs. Winterbottom is Phoebe and Prudence’s mother and Mr. Winterbottom’s wife. She’s a plain woman, with a round face and blond curls, and Sal suspects that she’s used to being ignored and unremarkable… read analysis of Mrs. Winterbottom

Mr. Winterbottom is Phoebe and Prudence’s father and Mrs. Winterbottom’s husband. Both Sal and Phoebe think of Mr. Winterbottom as upstanding and stoic. Sal describes him as a stereotypical father: he eats dinner… read analysis of Mr. Winterbottom

“The lunatic” is a young man of about 18 who appears on Phoebe’s doorstep one day asking for Mrs. Winterbottom. Phoebe starts to call him “the lunatic” because with her wild imagination, it’s… read analysis of The Lunatic/Mike Bickle

Mr. Birkway is Sal and Phoebe’s English teacher. He’s a lively man who clearly loves his subject, and though Sal describes him as “peculiar,” he also has an endearing ability to make a person… read analysis of Mr. Birkway

Mrs. Partridge is Mrs. Cadaver and Mr. Birkway’s elderly, blind mother, though Sal and Phoebe don’t learn for some time that Mrs. Partridge is Mr. Birkway’s mother. She’s a kind, mischievous woman who often… read analysis of Mrs. Partridge

Mary Lou Finney is a girl in Sal’s class. She often says odd things like “omnipotent” or “beef brain.” This confuses Sal at first—but Mary Lou’s mannerisms start to make more sense when Sal… read analysis of Mary Lou Finney

Prudence is Phoebe’s older sister. She’s 17 and looks a lot like Mrs. Winterbottom, with a round face and blond ringlets. Like Phoebe, Prudence is totally blind to the fact that her mother… read analysis of Prudence Winterbottom

Tom finds Sal, Gram, and Gramps sitting in the Missouri River. At first, he brandishes a bowie knife at them and declares that the river is private property. But when a water moccasin… read analysis of The Boy/Tom Fleet

Sergeant Bickle is a detective with the Euclid police department. He speaks to Phoebe and Sal about Mrs. Winterbottom’s disappearance, though he doesn’t take the girls seriously. However, he becomes a person of interest… read analysis of Sergeant Bickle

Sal’s maternal grandparents are upstanding and, as Momma once told Sal, “busy being “respectable.” They don’t appear in person in the novel, only in others’ conversation. Sal explains that the only wild thing her… read analysis of Grandmother and Grandfather Pickford

Gloria is an old friend of Gram’s who, according to Gram, was romantically interested in Gramps long ago. Gram insists that this is because Gloria actually wanted Gramps for herself. Gramps and Gram argue… read analysis of Gloria

The Lewiston sheriff finds Sal inspecting the site of the bus accident a few miles outside of Lewiston, Idaho. When he learns that Sal’s Momma died in the accident, the sheriff takes Sal to visit… read analysis of The Sheriff

Mr. Cadaver, Margaret Cadaver’s husband, is deceased and never appears in the novel. Phoebe spends much of the novel convinced that Mrs. Cadaver murdered her husband and buried him under a rhododendron in her… read analysis of Mr. Cadaver

Mr. Finney is Mary Lou’s father. Sal observes that Mr. Finney seems very in love with his wife, Mrs. Finney—the two of them remind Sal of how Momma and Dad used to be… read analysis of Mr. Finney

Mrs. Finney is Mary Lou’s mother. She works outside the home and seems to enjoy her rambunctious and chaotic family. Sal observes that Mrs. and Mr. Finney seem very in love. They remind her… read analysis of Mrs. Finney