Morris Bober
Morris Bober, the protagonist of The Assistant, owns a grocery shop, and is portrayed in the novel as being very truthful and having high moral standards, despite the world throwing so any obstacles at him. Many people in the village depend upon his grocery shop for food and supplies, so he is a key character in the community.
Ida Bober
Ida Bober is married to Morris Bober, and is the mother of Helen Bober. She is very protective of Helen, and constantly stresses about her daughter’s relationships. Ida, like Morris, is a very truthful person, and she also is very gentle and kind towards most of the other characters.
Helen Bober
Helen Bober is the daughter of Morris and Ida. Unlike her parents, Helen’s English is very sophisticated, and as a result, wants to become a scholar, but she doesn’t have the ability for college. Because of her crushed hope, she starts to view the world in an impractical way, often seeing things different from reality. At the end of the novel, Helen starts to see in a more realistic way, but this is only after she makes multiple mistakes.
Frank Alpine
Frank Alpine is a very conflicted character. While he wishes for himself to start doing some good in the community, he is also driven by his tendency to commit bad acts, such as stealing items from the store. He works for Morris, and is Morris’ “assistant”, and eventually, he starts turning a new leaf. By the end of the novel, Frank has found another way of life for himself.
Ward Minogue
Ward Minogue is the main antagonist of the novel. Although his father, Detective Minogue, works with the law, Ward had broken the law multiple times, including stealing from his father’s liquor store. Ward’s father always punishes him, and eventually kicks him out for doing bad things. He tries to rape Helen at one point, and there are no viable ‘good’ characteristics about him.
