Character Relationship Map: The Target

Characters

• Big Bill Brent (played by Hobart Bosworth) — protagonist

  A lawyer living with his elderly mother in Colorado, Bill earns the gratitude of many through his professional ability. After his wife leaves him, he is driven to drink and blamed for a killing commit...

• Nita (played by Jane Novak) — protagonist

  Nita is the sole survivor of a boating accident. Bill and Jack rescue her and take her in, and she eventually falls in love with Jack and marries him. Her relationship with Jack becomes part of the ne...

• Mrs. Brent (played by Anna Lehr) — supporting

  Mrs. Brent is Bill's elderly mother, with whom he lives in Colorado. After his imprisonment and escape, Bill eventually decides to return home to her. She is sick when he arrives, and she dies just be...

• Jack Taylor (played by Robert N. Bradbury) — supporting

  Jack is Bill's cellmate, and the two escape from prison together to Canada. There they become wealthy through trapping. After they rescue Nita from a boating accident, Jack falls in love with her and...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Big Bill Brent → Mrs. Brent (Family Son) — Bill resides with and cares for his aging mother.
• Jack Taylor → Nita (Romantic Lovers) — Jack and Nita develop a deep romantic bond.

Story Dynamics

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

• Big Bill Brent → Nita (Alliance Rescuer) — Bill and Jack save Nita and provide her shelter.
• Big Bill Brent → Jack Taylor (Alliance Cellmate) — Jack and Bill share a prison cell and a dangerous escape.

Story Analysis

A disgraced lawyer finds temporary refuge in Canada before returning home to a fatal reunion with his sick mother.

Plot Progression

1. A Reputation Unraveled — A respected Colorado lawyer lives with his elderly mother and earns public gratitude through his professional ability. His marriage collapses, and abandonment drives him toward drinking and disgrace.
2. The Price of Accusation — The lawyer is blamed for a killing committed by his law partner and receives a long prison sentence. He escapes with a cellmate and begins a new life in Canada.
3. Shelter After Disaster — The two trappers become wealthy before rescuing Nita, the sole survivor of a boating accident. They take her in, and a new emotional bond develops between Nita and one rescuer.
4. A Homeward Tragedy — After Nita marries her rescuer, the other man decides to return to his mother. The sheriff shoots him near home, and he reaches his sick mother before both die.