The Narrator
The unnamed narrator is the story's protagonist. Narrating from the present day, the narrator looks back to a time when he was a young boy. Initially proud to be at his grandfather's side and to memorize the Koran at mosque, the narrator's opinion of his grandfather changes when he realizes his grandfather has been hoping for their neighbor Masood's financial and social ruin so that he may buy up all of Masood's land.
The Grandfather
The grandfather is the primary authority figure in the narrator's life and chief antagonist. As a boy, the narrator loves his grandfather and believes he is his grandfather's favorite grandchild. The grandfather is very tall and has a soft white beard. But the narrator's high opinion of the grandfather is shaken when he learns that the grandfather has been steadily buying up their neighbor's land, exploiting Masood's propensity to accrue debt.
Masood
Masood is the grandfather's neighbor. Although he had inherited most of the land in the village from his father, Masood steadily lost most of the land by selling it off to the grandfather. The grandfather considers Masood to be indolent and judges him for marrying many times. At the end of the story, it is clear Masood is in debt to the men who come to take away sacks of dates from Masood's harvest.
Hussein
Hussein is a merchant. At Masood's harvest, Hussein takes ten sacks of dates. His assistants load the sacks onto donkeys and camels, who strain under the weight.
Mousa
Mousa is the man who owns a field next to the grandfather's property. Mousa is present at Masood's date harvest and takes away five sacks of dates.
