Character Relationship Map: Cry, Onion!

Characters

• Onion Stark (played by Franco Nero) — protagonist

  Onion returns to the struggling town and settles on his own land, refusing to surrender it to Petrus Lamb's company. His resistance gives the townspeople hope, and he works with newspaper publisher He...

• Henry 'Jack' Pullitzer (played by Sterling Hayden) — protagonist

  Henry 'Jack' Pullitzer is the newspaper publisher Onion meets after returning to town. He explains that censorship has reduced the paper to obituaries and funeral notices, and argues that exposing the...

• Petrus Lamb (played by Martin Balsam) — supporting

  Petrus Lamb is the oil company's powerful landholder, whose men control most of the region and seek the remaining land needed for the company's plans. He explains that the area contains an enormous oi...

• Sheriff (played by Leo Anchóriz) — supporting

  The Sheriff is aligned with the forces intimidating Onion and serves as an instrument of the town's corrupt authorities. After Onion and Jack are framed for the killing of Stinky, the Sheriff arrests...

• Buck, Lamb Henchman (played by Massimo Vanni) — minor
• Dutch Foster (played by Fernando Castro) — minor

  Dutch Foster is the last landowner whose farm remains outside Petrus Lamb's control. When he refuses to leave, Lamb's men arrange what they call an accident, removing the final obstacle to the company...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Petrus Lamb → Buck, Lamb Henchman (Professional Employer And Henchman) — Buck is part of the force serving Lamb's interests in the land dispute.

  Buck is identified in the character list as Lamb's henchman, while the plot describes Lamb's men carrying out intimidation and coercion.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Onion Stark → Dutch Foster (Conflict Shared Resistance To Land Pressure) — Both stand in the way of the land-control effort, though the plot does not describe a direct interaction between them.

  Dutch Foster refuses to leave his farm, and later Onion settles on land of his own and resists pressure to give it up.

• Henry 'Jack' Pullitzer → Sheriff (Conflict Arresting Adversaries) — Jack's attempt to expose the group's crimes ends with the Sheriff taking him into custody.

  The Sheriff arrests Jack alongside Onion after they are accused of murdering Stinky.

• Onion Stark → Sheriff (Conflict Arresting Adversaries) — The Sheriff acts against Onion by taking him into custody on the murder accusation.

  After Onion is accused of murdering Stinky, the Sheriff arrests him and Jack.

• Onion Stark → Henry 'Jack' Pullitzer (Alliance Partners Seeking Evidence) — Onion and Jack work together to challenge the land-grab operation by seeking evidence, but are framed and arrested.

  Onion returns to town and meets Jack; they begin looking for proof of the powerful group's crimes so the newspaper can expose them and alert the gover...

• Petrus Lamb → Sheriff (Alliance Oil Scheme Associates) — The Sheriff’s actions support the coercive effort to silence opposition to Lamb's land plans.

  Lamb's men and the Sheriff’s allies intimidate Onion, and the Sheriff later arrests Onion and Jack after they are accused of Stinky's murder.

• Petrus Lamb → Onion Stark (Conflict Land Acquisition Opponent) — Onion's refusal to surrender his land challenges Lamb's effort to secure the region for the oil company.

  Onion settles on land of his own and resists pressure to give it up while Lamb's group seeks control of the area.

• Petrus Lamb → Dutch Foster (Conflict Orders An Arranged Accident) — Lamb's land-acquisition scheme turns Foster's refusal into a lethal obstacle.

  After Dutch Foster refuses to leave his farm, Lamb's men arrange what they call an accident to remove the last obstacle to the company's plans.

Story Analysis

A land grab for oil pits Onion and Jack against a powerful group whose coercion and corrupt justice leave them facing execution.

Plot Progression

1. The Last Farm Under Threat — Lamb's oil interests tighten control over the area, leaving Dutch Foster's farm outside the company's grasp. Foster refuses to leave, and Lamb's men arrange an accident to remove the obstacle.
2. A Town Silenced — Onion returns to a struggling town and meets Jack, who describes censorship and the damage caused by oil development. Onion claims land of his own and resists pressure to give it up.
3. The Search for Proof — The community urges Onion to help, while Jack proposes gathering evidence for the newspaper and the governor. Their search is overturned when Stinky is killed and Onion's weapon is presented as eviden...
4. A Trial Without Justice — The Sheriff arrests Onion and Jack, and the trial silences their defense. The jury finds them guilty and the judge sentences them to hang, leaving their fate unresolved as dawn approaches.