Shouting at the Rain

Ronan is the novel’s secondary protagonist and becomes close friends with Delsie throughout the course of the story. He parallels Delsie in that he, too, has been left by his mother and struggles to come to terms with his abandonment and what it means about him. His love for marine life also complements Delsie’s interest in the weather.

Ronan’s tendency to wear all black reflects his inner state. In the beginning of the novel, characters like Tressa view Ronan as a malicious troublemaker—an interpretation that the scene of him arguing with the manager at the ice cream parlor supports. However, his underlying softness quickly becomes apparent, particularly in how he treats Delsie and horseshoe crabs. He also proves himself to be brave, such as when he tries to jump in the sea to fetch Henry’s fishing pole despite the presence of great whites in the water. While Ronan internalizes his mother’s claim that he is “trouble” and struggles to accept himself, characters like Delsie, Henry, and Saucepan Lynn help him to see his many positive traits, and by the end of the story, he is happier and more trusting of both himself and the people around him.

Grammy, or Bridget, is Delsie’s loving grandmother. She has raised Delsie since infancy after Delsie’s mother left. Grammy is a strong woman who unites her occasionally bickering neighbors. Nevertheless, she struggles to confront the losses of her husband, Papa Joseph, and her daughter, Mellie. She wants to sell Papa Joseph’s treasures and avoids talking about Mellie because the memories of Papa Joseph’s death and Mellie’s abandonment make her “sad.” Delsie’s acts of rebellion—hiding Papa Joseph’s treasures and pressuring Grammy to tell her more about Mellie—prompt Grammy to change her perspective on the past. Grammy’s character growth and her newfound ability to reconcile the sadness of these personal losses with the happiness of her memories improve the relationship between Grammy and Delsie.

Henry and Esme Lasko, along with their daughter, Ruby, are Delsie’s next-door neighbors. Both Henry and Esme are loving, playful, and close to Delsie and Grammy. Henry is a local fisherman, native to the cape like Delsie and knowledgeable about the cape’s natural surroundings. Esme acts as a mediator between Delsie and Grammy when Delsie starts feeling negatively toward Grammy.

The Laskos not only represent the importance of friendship and family but also blur the lines between friends and family; despite not being related to them by blood, Delsie thinks of them as family members. Esme serves as a surrogate mother to Delsie, showing her love and affection—particularly through the symbolic gift of nourishing tea—and talking about her feelings with her. Henry acts as a father figure in Delsie’s life, treating her with love and teaching her how to fish. The Laskos’ relationship to Delsie suggests that biological relationships do not matter as much as love and companionship.

Olive, Delsie’s grumpy neighbor, emerges as an important representative of the theme of The Complexity of Human Emotions and Character. Initially, Olive appears to be a cruel and angry woman, quick to bicker with her neighbors for building makeshift wind chimes or practicing fishing. However, when Ronan asks why she is so “mean,” she displays real emotion. Olive’s grief at the loss of her family and her unexpected gift of a handmade dress to Ruby reveal that Olive is not actually cruel but merely sad and lonely; she struggles to show her feelings for others. She undergoes significant character development, making amends to her neighbors at the end of the novel.

Delsie’s friend Brandy Fiester is a yearly summer visitor to Cape Cod. Early in the novel, Delsie realizes that Brandy has matured over the past year, developing an interest in clothing and makeup and dismissing old hobbies as “babyish.” These changes foreshadow Brandy’s shift away from Delsie and toward Tressa.

Brandy is a foil to Aimee, Michael, and Ronan. She is a neutral character: not intentionally cruel like Tressa, but not true to herself or to her friendship with Brandy. She even helps Tressa with some of her cruel jokes on Delsie, like writing “boring” on her back with sunscreen, though she also expresses concern for Delsie at times, such as when she tells her to get off the beach during the storm. At the end of the story, Brandy’s farewell to Delsie implies that their friendship may not be entirely over. Brandy is yet another complex character and might deserve a second chance in the future.

Tressa is the novel’s primary antagonist and Delsie’s bully. Tressa looks down upon Delsie and Grammy for their working-class status and lifestyle. For instance, she is disdainful of the soot that the furnace in Delsie and Grammy’s house leaves on the walls. Tressa is often wantonly cruel, such as when she denies Delsie the kitten she has chosen.

Tressa has a brief moment of redemption when she later gives Delsie the same kitten. This action implies that Tressa is capable of sympathy, or at least of more complicated feelings than the desire to be mean. In this way, she parallels Olive, who also reveals herself to have multiple facets and is possibly capable of kindness.

Gusty is Ronan’s father, who has never cared for Ronan on his own before. Initially, he appears cold and distant, and Ronan believes that he resents having to leave his old job as a fisherman to care for his son. In this way, he parallels Ronan, as both are initially portrayed as standoffish and potentially malicious. However, Gusty eventually reveals that he is glad Ronan is living with him, emerging as a gruff but loving father. He is a prime example of the unexpected complexities of character, as his initial ambiguity gives way to kindness and compassion toward his son and others.

Aimee and Michael are Delsie’s school friends who are performing in a summer production of Annie. Aimee is crucial to the plot, as she first prompts Delsie to realize that she is “an orphan” and to question her abandonment. Aimee and Michael are faithful friends who stand up for Delsie when Tressa abuses her. Unlike many of the other characters in the novel, Aimee and Michael do not have fully developed personalities, instead representing true friendship as foils to Brandy and Tressa.

Saucepan Lynn is the brusque but kind owner and head cook at her restaurant, Saucepan Lynn’s. She has the unusual tendency to tell her customers to pitch in and cook their own food. She herself is physically strong but teaches Ronan that being strong is principally about moral and mental strength.