Big Red

Red is a primary character. He is Danny’s sidekick throughout the majority of the novel. Red is attracted to Danny the moment that they meet in Chapter 1. Instead of obeying his trainer, Robert Fraley, Red stays by Danny’s side when Danny visits the estate. Red’s affection immediately endears him to Danny and foreshadows the characters’ interspecies connection.

Red is the incarnation of Danny’s dream dog. When Mr. Haggin lets him live with Danny, Danny and Red become inseparable. Danny takes Red with him everywhere, even if Red can’t be of use to him. Red is Danny’s companion, rather than his servant. He is loyal, trusting, protective, and clever. The more time that Danny spends with him, the more remarkable Red seems. He quickly realizes that there are few dogs “with Red’s heart and brain” (14).

Red fulfills the sidekick role by protecting and guiding Danny. He not only comforts Danny but keeps him out of danger when he runs into bucks, wolverines, and bears. He stays by his side when the deer falls on Danny’s leg in Chapter 6. He helps Danny find Ross when he gets lost in the snowstorm in Chapter 7 and protects him from the escaped prisoner in Chapter 8. Like Danny, Red is courageous and smart. He doesn’t give up even when he’s in trouble, and he protects his friend even at his own risk.

Red’s show dog career ends after he gets injured by Old Majesty in Chapter 12. Danny is sad that the bear fight harmed Red but is thankful that Red survived and will still be able to breed.

Ross Pickett is Danny Pickett’s father. He is a secondary character who supports Danny’s character throughout Big Red. Ross has lived alone in the Wintapi wilderness with his only son ever since his wife died. He and Danny have created a life together, although their circumstances are challenging. Since Ross and Danny only have each other, they have grown close. Their bond is so strong that their feelings, actions, and thoughts often overlap (70). Ross knows that his son is still young, but he treats Danny like an adult. He allows him to make his own decisions and trusts him to work hard and to take responsibility for himself.

Ross is a skilled hunter and trapper. He also has a wealth of experience raising and training dogs. Therefore, when Danny questions Ross’s methods regarding Red’s future, Ross feels hurt. Danny doesn’t want to offend his father, but he disagrees with Ross’s reliance upon yelling and beating his dogs to make them obey. This conflict temporarily strains Ross’s relationship with Danny, but ultimately brings the two characters closer.

Danny relies upon Ross’s wisdom and advice whenever he is in trouble. When he is in the woods alone, he often recalls Ross’s words in order to comfort or guide him through challenging situations. Therefore, Danny consistently respects Ross, even when he doesn’t agree with him.

Ross’s relationships with his dogs are revealing of his heart. Ross is a rough master, but he loves his hounds and grieves them when they are hurt or killed. These dynamics reiterate his capacity for docility and gentleness even when he isn’t showing overt affection to Danny. Ross sees Danny as the most important thing in his life. When he realizes that Danny is becoming a man, he feels saddened and lonely. He knows Danny has to grow up but is afraid of losing him. He realizes that he has to let Danny be his own person after Danny returns from the bear hunt in Chapter 12. 

Mr. Dick Haggin is a secondary character. He acts as a mentor to Danny throughout the novel. Mr. Haggin owns a sprawling estate in a clearing in the Wintapi wilderness. He allows Danny and Ross to live in the trapper’s cabin at the edge of his property as long as they care for the house, don’t cause trouble, and help him when he needs it.

Danny doesn’t know what to think of Mr. Haggin at the start of the novel. Mr. Haggin’s house and life are separated from Danny’s by both distance and money. Therefore, Danny regards Mr. Haggin as a wealthy, snobbish man who doesn’t understand his and Ross’s difficult circumstances. However, Danny’s perspective begins to change after he and Mr. Haggin talk about Red in Chapters 1 and 2. Mr. Haggin proves himself to be kind and compassionate, intelligent and wise. He is indeed wealthy, but he has changed his life of his own volition and will. Therefore, he sympathizes with Danny’s situation and character. He gives Danny opportunities because, like Ross, he sees something special in Danny. He not only allows Danny to take care of Red, but invites him to New York City, teaches him about dogs and dog shows, trusts him with new responsibilities, and ultimately gives him his first job. Therefore, Mr. Haggin’s character is the guide who ushers Danny out of childhood and into adulthood.

Robert Fraley is a secondary, static character. He remains in the margins of Danny’s story and exhibits no real change over the course of the narrative. Fraley works as Mr. Haggin’s overseer. He tends to Mr. Haggin’s grounds, his horses, and his show dog, Red.

Danny first interacts with Fraley in Chapter 1 when he reports to the house to tell Mr. Haggin about the bull and the bear. Fraley’s behavior towards Danny in this scene establishes his character traits for the remainder of Big Red. Fraley is brusque and insensitive, territorial and possessive. Mr. Haggin knows that Fraley will “see that things get done, and [that] he has a lot of knowledge” (21). However, he acknowledges that Fraley has a lot to “learn about animals” (21). Fraley is particularly rough with Red. When Danny witnesses him twisting Red’s collar or trying to beat Red, he intervenes. Fraley perceives Danny as an intrusion, and fears that the boy will take his job and, thus, his power.

Fraley is particularly threatened by Danny when they go to the New York dog show. On the ride into the city, Fraley warns Danny about butting in and compromising his work. Danny promises not to get involved but is troubled by the way Red changes whenever he is around Fraley. With Danny, Red is energetic and happy. With Fraley, however, Red becomes austere and statuesque. Danny eventually realizes that Red responds this way to Fraley because he is afraid of him.

Fraley’s character features in the first half of the novel, but disappears in the later chapters. The more responsibility that Danny takes for Red, the less relevant Fraley becomes to the narrative.