The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Abilene is Edward’s original owner. When she first has Edward, she is a little girl who deeply loves him. In fact, her childhood centers around him; she treats him as if he is real and makes sure he lives a life of comfort. While Edward is separated from Abilene early in the novel, she finds him again at the end of the novel when she is grown up.  

Pellegrina is Abilene’s grandmother, and she is the one responsible for Edward’s existence; she commissioned him to be made, and she seems to know that he has sentience because she talks directly to him as if he’s real. While the reader doesn’t know much about Pellegrina, Edward thinks she’s the witch from her story. He blames her for the misfortunes he encountered after being separated from Abilene, and she seems to haunt him as well in the form of visions, people, or animals. 

Lawrence is the fisherman that saves Edward from his stay at the bottom of the ocean, and Nellie is his wife. Lawrence and Nellie treat Edward like a baby; he gets to sit in a highchair while they eat dinner, and Nellie sings him lullabies at night. Lawrence and Nellie lost a child, and the way they treat Edward seems to be their way of coping with that loss. 

Bull is a vagabond, and he rescues Edward from the trash dump. Bull is a gentle giant of sorts in that he’s physically large but also kind. He is a great singer and story teller, and he and Edward attract other vagabonds in the towns they visit for this reason. He keeps Edward for seven years and treats him as a trusted friend. 

Bryce is the little boy who saves Edward from hanging like a scarecrow in the old woman’s garden. He is a compassionate boy with a huge heart. He saves Edward to give to his ailing little sister, and he is constantly selfless. He toils in the field so that his little sister can have food to eat, and he stands up for his sister despite his father’s backlash. In another selfless act, he gives up owning Edward so that the broken rabbit can be saved. 

Sarah Ruth is Bryce’s little sister and the first person that Edward ever admits he loves. She has no mother, and her father is abusive and mostly absent. As a result, she is being raised by Bryce who isn’t much older than her. She loves to chew on Edward’s ear for comfort and to play with buttons—her only toy besides Edward. The entire time that she and Edward are together, she is deathly ill with a coughing sickness. Once she passes away from the illness, Edward is devastated by her absence and, for the longest time, has no desire to love again.