Character Relationship Map: Savannah

Characters

• Ward Allen (played by Jim Caviezel) — protagonist

  Ward Allen is a privileged man born in the mid-1800s who chooses a life centered on duck hunting in Savannah rather than the advantages of his upbringing. His repeated appearances before Judge Harden...

• Christmas Moultrie (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) — supporting

  Christmas Moultrie narrates the story as a 95-year-old man looking back on his long-ago friendship with Ward Allen in Savannah. His recollections provide the framing perspective for Ward's hunting lif...

• Lucy Stubbs (played by Jaimie Alexander) — supporting

  Lucy Stubbs is Ward Allen's wife, marrying him partly to spite her father, who wanted her to marry Sir Graham. Their marriage is strained by Ward's heavy drinking and devotion to duck hunting, and Luc...

• Mr. Stubbs (played by Sam Shepard) — supporting
• Little Jack Whitford (played by George Whitford) — supporting

  Little Jack Whitford listens as the elderly Christmas Moultrie recounts stories of Ward Allen, even though he has heard them many times. In the present, he finds Christmas a comfortable place to live...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Mr. Stubbs → Lucy Stubbs (Family Father And Daughter) — Lucy resists her father's attempt to determine her future.

  The story describes Lucy as unwilling to let her father decide her life.

• Ward Allen → Lucy Stubbs (Family Husband And Wife) — Their affection leads to marriage, but Ward's life and Lucy's later crisis put the relationship under severe strain.

  The story says Ward and Lucy grow close, and Lucy eventually becomes Mrs. Ward Allen. Their marriage faces hardship after the birth of their son and L...

Story Dynamics

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

• Ward Allen → Mr. Stubbs (In-Law Conflict) — Ward's marriage to Lucy places him within the family conflict over who should choose her future.

  Lucy is described as resisting her father's wishes about her life, while Ward becomes her husband.

• Little Jack Whitford → Christmas Moultrie (Alliance Protector And Listener) — Little Jack values Christmas's recollections and offers practical care as Christmas grows old.

  Little Jack listens to Christmas's stories and promises to look after him by finding him a comfortable place to live.

• Christmas Moultrie → Ward Allen (Social Friend And Story Subject) — Christmas preserves Ward's memory by recounting his independence, hunting life, and resistance to change.

  Christmas recalls his long-ago friendship with Ward and tells Little Jack stories about Ward's life.

Story Analysis

Christmas preserves Ward Allen's story as the river world Ward cherished gives way to change, loss, and the needs of the living.

Plot Progression

1. Stories Against Disappearance — In the present, Christmas recounts Ward's life to Little Jack as the old land is sold. He urges Little Jack to help him leave before the place is reduced to debris.
2. A Hunter Meets Lucy — Ward earns his living as a market hunter and is hired as a guide. He meets Lucy, whose desire to choose her own life contrasts with Ward's independence.
3. Marriage Under Strain — Ward and Lucy marry, while restrictions on hunting threaten the way Ward earns his living. After their son's birth, Lucy requires constant care, and Ward faces pressure to place her in an asylum.
4. The River's Last Stories — Ward's dog dies, and Christmas reflects on Ward's writing and resistance to change. Ward is later found dead, with disagreement about whether his death was accidental; in the present, Little Jack prom...