Toby Hennessy

Toby is the narrator and protagonist of The Witch Elm. Toby considers himself to be “basically, a lucky person,” going through life “without any of the standard misfortunes you hear about” (8). For the first half of the novel, Toby continues to consider himself to be fundamentally lucky, and often luckier than his peers; he considers himself to be generally attractive, and often avoids serious consequences for his actions. He is an only child as well, and his mother comments that this could contribute to him feeling as though he lives at the center of his own world. At the beginning of the novel, he feels confident in his own ability to influence the world around him.

As the narrative progresses, however, Toby begins to realize that his experience is based largely on his own oblivion to the world around him, rather than any innate goodness in the...