Who is the antagonist in The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle?

The novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle tells the tragic tale of a boy named Edgar who cannot speak. Edgar’s life descends quickly into chaos when his father is mysteriously murdered. Soon, Edgar is forced to flee into the woods with his dogs in order to save his own life.

While Edgar is the clear protagonist of the story, the antagonist is revealed as the story unfolds. It turns out that Edgar’s uncle, Claude, is...

The novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle tells the tragic tale of a boy named Edgar who cannot speak. Edgar’s life descends quickly into chaos when his father is mysteriously murdered. Soon, Edgar is forced to flee into the woods with his dogs in order to save his own life.

While Edgar is the clear protagonist of the story, the antagonist is revealed as the story unfolds. It turns out that Edgar’s uncle, Claude, is the chief antagonist. A solitary person, Claude had served in the navy for several years. Edgar’s father offers Claude a job on their dog farm. However, events don’t go as planned as Edgar’s father and Claude seem to have deep-seeded resentments toward each other. Eventually, Edgar’s father ends up murdered and returns to Edgar as a ghostly vision, suggesting Claude killed him. Edgar finds further evidence to suggest Claude’s guilt and goes to avenge his father’s death. Through a series of events, Edgar ends up killing a different person and Claude plans to use this to convince others that Edgar killed his own father. The end of the story pits the nephew and uncle against each other in true Hamlet style.