Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
Characters
Will Halloway - At the beginning he is an introverted and thoughtful type. As the story goes on he becomes more and more part of
the action and by the end of the story he is the hero.
Jim Nightshade - He seems to go wherever his gut feeling and intuition take him. In a sense, he is the dark side.
Charles Halloway - When the story begins, He is fifty-four-years-old and feeling alienated from life. He thinks that because of his
age he can no longer connect with the joys of being alive that he remembers from his youth.
Mr. Dark - He possesses superhuman physical strength and the ability to psychologically manipulate and control people. He finally
meets his match at the end of the book, defeated by a person's intrinsically good nature.
Mr. Cooger - He plays a very small role in the second half of the book after he rides too far forward on the carousel and becomes
an ancient and decrepit old man.
The Witch - She is blind but possesses great psychic powers. Her personality and soul are as ugly and shriveled as her physical
appearance.
Miss Foley - Mr. Cooger transforms her into a little boy and convinces her that he is her nephew, Robert, and draws her to the
carnival and onto the merry-go-round, where she becomes a little girl again. She still has the knowledge she had as an older adult,
however, and becomes the frightened little girl that Will and Jim meet later on.
Will's Mother - Both her husband and her son love her and think about her a lot, but she is oblivious to what is happening with them
and the carnival.
Mr. Tetley - He is a representative of the townspeople who cannot see the evil below the carnival's festive surface that Jim, Will,
and Mr. Halloway are experiencing all too clearly.
Mr. Crosetti - He owns the barbershop in town. Early in the story, he tells Will and Jim that he smells cotton candy, predicting the
arrival of the carnival.
Objects
Green Town, Illinois - The town where the boys live and the story takes place.
The Lightning Rod - Will and Jim purchase this from a traveling salesman and put it on the roof of Jim's house.
Rolfe's Moon Meadow - This is the place at the edge of town where the carnival sets up.
The Library - Mr. Halloway works as the janitor here. It is also where he, Will, and Jim encounter Mr. Dark.
The Mirror Maze - This is an attraction at the carnival that sometimes shows people things they do not want to see.
The Balloon - The main mode of transportation for the Dust Witch.
The United Cigar Store - Owned by Mr. Tetley, with a wooden Indian in front, this makes several brief appearances throughout the
story.
The Carousel - This is a ride at the carnival that makes people become older or younger.
The Barbershop - Mr. Crosetti owns this. A sign in the window says the shop is closed due to illness.
Ned's Night Spot - This is the local watering hole where Mr. Halloway is a regular, although he is never seen drinking anything
stronger than coffee.
Wax Museum - This sits at the very end of the Mirror Maze. Jim and Will are stashed there by Mr. Dark after the witch puts an
immobilizing spell on them.