Character Relationship Map: The Great Train Robbery

Characters

• Bandit / Shot Passenger / Tenderfoot Dancer (played by Gilbert M. Anderson) — protagonist

  Appears as a bandit during the robbery, a passenger who is shot while attempting to escape, and an Eastern stranger forced to dance at the dance hall before the posse forms.

• Bandit (played by Adam Charles Hayman) — supporting
• Trainman / Bandit (played by Robert Milasch) — supporting

  Involved in forcing the engineer to halt the train and manage the locomotive during the robbery, and is later killed by the posse.

Story Dynamics

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

• Bandit → Trainman / Bandit (Alliance Robbery Teammates) — They are fellow members of the group that robs the train.

  The plot describes the bandits acting together in the train robbery, and both character profiles identify these characters as participating bandits.

• Bandit / Shot Passenger / Tenderfoot Dancer → Trainman / Bandit (Alliance Robbery Teammates) — They cooperate as members of the outlaw group.

  The plot describes the bandits working together during the robbery. The character profile identifies Trainman / Bandit as involved in forcing the engi...

• Bandit / Shot Passenger / Tenderfoot Dancer → Bandit (Alliance Robbery Teammates) — They share membership in the group committing the train robbery.

  The plot describes a group of bandits carrying out the robbery together, and both listed characters are identified as bandits.

Story Analysis

Bandits stop and rob a train, prompting a posse to pursue them and recover the stolen mail.

Plot Progression

1. The Telegraph Office Seized — The bandits take control of the telegraph office, force the train to stop, and leave the operator bound. Their plan shifts from controlling communications to boarding the train.
2. The Train Robbery — The bandits break into the express car, overpower the train crew, and rob the passengers. A passenger's failed escape underscores the danger before the bandits flee by locomotive.
3. The Alarm and Pursuit — The operator is revived, and the dance-hall interlude is interrupted by news of the robbery. The men form a posse and pursue the bandits into the mountains.
4. The Posse's Victory — The posse catches the bandits, kills them, and recovers the stolen mail. A separate close-up presents an outlaw firing directly at the camera.