Evangeline
An ethereal and beautiful young woman blessed with the favor of God. She is a dutiful daughter and a beloved member of the Acadian community. She marries her great love, Gabriel, but the Acadian exile tears them apart. She spends the rest of her life waiting for him, wandering the wild lands. Her hope ebbs and flows, and as she grows old she devotes time ministering to the sick and poor. She comes across Gabriel dying from smallpox and holds him as he passes. She is grateful to God for this; the two are buried next to each other.
Benedict Bellefontaine
Evangeline's kindhearted and loving father; a prosperous herdsman. He dies due to the shock of seeing his village burn down on the eve of the Acadians' exile.
Gabriel
A handsome and sentimental young man deeply in love with Evangeline. When they are parted he falls into a deep depression and travels into the West to try and ameliorate his despair. He is reunited with Evangeline on his deathbed.
Basil the Blacksmith
Gabriel's father. He is a warm, welcoming, and prosperous Acadian who is able to succeed after the removal to the south. He counsels the Acadians to embrace the new lands. He goes with Evangeline to find Gabriel after telling her that he'd sent his son away because his grief was too much to bear.
Father Felician
Evangeline's friend and confessor who stays by her side as they go into exile. He counsels her to keep waiting for Gabriel.
Michael the Fiddler
An Acadian renowned for his musical skills. He plays at the wedding ceremony and then much later when the exiles reach Basil in the new land.
The English Commander
Delivers the terrible message that the Acadian lands and dwellings are forfeited and the residents expelled.
Father Leblanc
The aged and venerable notary of Grand-Pré who marries Gabriel and Evangeline.
The Shawnee Woman
An Indian woman returning home to her people who makes camp with the travelers one night, regaling them with stories. In particular she speaks to Evangeline, her words creating a spectral and dreamlike web and making Evangeline wonder if she is chasing a ghost herself.
The Jesuit Priest
The leader of the Mission in the West with whom Evangeline stays, hoping that Gabriel will come back there on his way home.
