Character Relationship Map: Nebraska

Characters

• Woody Grant (played by Bruce Dern) — protagonist

  An elderly man who believes he won a million-dollar sweepstakes prize and insists on walking to Nebraska to claim it. Driven by his son David, he visits his hometown, confronts his past, and ultimatel...

• David Grant (played by Will Forte) — protagonist

  Woody's son who drives him from Montana to Nebraska, hoping to spend time with him and give his mother a break. He navigates family conflicts, retrieves lost property, confronts old acquaintances, and...

• Kate Grant (played by June Squibb) — supporting

  Woody's wife and David's mother. She travels to Nebraska with Ross, confronts greedy relatives, and helps reclaim family property. She provides sharp commentary on family dynamics and ultimately plays...

• Ross Grant (played by Bob Odenkirk) — supporting

  Woody's estranged son who initially believes David owes him nothing due to their father's neglect. He joins Kate in Hawthorne, participates in family confrontations, and helps retrieve Woody's compres...

• Ed Pegram (played by Stacy Keach) — supporting

  Woody's former business partner who stole his air compressor years ago and allegedly cheated on Kate. He confronts David over a loan, blackmails Woody, and publicly humiliates him with the fake sweeps...

• Bart (played by Tim Driscoll) — supporting

  One of Uncle Ray's sons who, along with Cole, attacks David and Woody, steals the sweepstakes letter, and claims to have thrown it away after discovering it is a scam.

• Cole (played by Devin Ratray) — supporting

  One of Uncle Ray's sons who participates in the attack on David and Woody, stealing the sweepstakes letter and later discarding it after realizing it is fraudulent.

• Peg Nagy (played by Angela McEwan) — supporting

  The owner of the local newspaper in Hawthorne who covers Woody's visit. She provides David with insight into Woody's guarded personality and alcoholism, linking them to his experience of being shot do...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Woody Grant → Peg Nagy (Professional Subject Of Reporting) — Peg's newspaper reports on Woody's visit, while she also offers David an account of Woody's past.

  The reference says Peg owns the local newspaper, which publishes a story about Woody stopping in town.

• David Grant → Ross Grant (Family Brothers) — The brothers travel into the family conflict together and jointly attempt to recover Woody's air compressor.

  The reference identifies Ross and David as Woody's sons and says they both participate in the family visit and property retrieval.

• David Grant → Kate Grant (Family Mother And Son) — David's decision to take Woody on the drive is partly intended to give Kate relief from caring for him.

  The reference identifies Kate as David's mother and says David plans the trip partly to give her a break.

• Woody Grant → Ross Grant (Family Father And Son) — Ross joins the Nebraska visit but openly acknowledges the damage caused by Woody's failures as a parent.

  The reference identifies Ross as Woody's son and says Ross considers Woody a neglectful alcoholic.

• Woody Grant → Kate Grant (Family Husband And Wife) — Their long marriage is marked by Woody's alcoholism and the revelation that he cheated on Kate before David was born.

  The reference identifies Kate as Woody's wife and says she travels to Hawthorne to join him.

• Woody Grant → David Grant (Family Father And Son) — David undertakes the trip to spend time with his neglectful, aging father and ultimately helps him fulfill the journey despite the worthless prize.

  The reference identifies David as Woody's son and says David drives him toward Nebraska.

Story Dynamics

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

• David Grant → Peg Nagy (Social Informant) — Peg gives David information about a possible source of Woody's guardedness and alcoholism.

  The reference says Peg tells David that Woody's guarded nature and alcoholism come from being shot down over Korea.

• David Grant → Cole (Conflict Attackers And Victim) — Cole is among the attackers who confront David and take the letter during the Hawthorne visit.

  The reference says Cole and Bart attack David and Woody and steal Woody's sweepstakes letter.

• Woody Grant → Cole (Conflict Attackers And Victim) — Cole participates in the attack and later says the letter was discarded after they learned the prize was a scam.

  The reference says Cole and Bart attack David and Woody and steal Woody's sweepstakes letter.

• David Grant → Bart (Conflict Attackers And Victim) — Bart takes part in the attack on David, escalating the hostility surrounding Woody's supposed winnings.

  The reference says Bart and Cole attack David and Woody and steal Woody's sweepstakes letter.

• Woody Grant → Bart (Conflict Attackers And Victim) — Bart participates in the attack and helps take the letter that Woody believes is his path to the prize.

  The reference says Bart and Cole attack David and Woody and steal Woody's sweepstakes letter.

• David Grant → Ed Pegram (Conflict Adversaries) — Ed's threats and public humiliation of Woody provoke David to confront him physically.

  Ed corners David over money he claims to have loaned Woody, and David punches Ed after Ed reads Woody's letter aloud at the bar.

• Woody Grant → Ed Pegram (Conflict Former Business Partners Turned Adversaries) — Their old business grievance resurfaces when Ed demands money, threatens legal action, and later humiliates Woody with the sweepstakes letter.

  The reference says Ed was Woody's former business partner and stole Woody's air compressor decades earlier.

Story Analysis

A road trip built around a false prize becomes a journey through family grievances, aging, and David's growing connection with Woody.

Plot Progression

1. A Prize and a Road Trip — Woody is picked up after trying to walk to Nebraska for a sweepstakes prize. David drives him, partly to spend time with his father and give Kate a break.
2. Old Ground in Hawthorne — A stop in Woody's hometown brings old acquaintances and family into the journey. The supposed prize draws attention, demands, and renewed disputes.
3. Family Debts and Old Wounds — Kate challenges relatives who demand money, while the family visits Woody's abandoned childhood home. David and Ross attempt to recover Woody's compressor but return it after realizing they have the w...
4. The Letter and the Truth — Bart and Cole take Woody's letter, and Ed later reads it aloud at the bar. After David intervenes, Woody explains that he hoped the money would leave something for his sons.
5. A Different Kind of Gift — Woody learns in Lincoln that he did not win the prize. David buys a truck and compressor, then lets Woody drive through Hawthorne before they head home.