October in the Chair

The Runt is the protagonist of October’s tale and the central character in “October in the Chair.” The story follows his journey as he runs away from home and contemplates the life he would like to have. He does not have a healthy family life; he is terrorized by his older twin brothers and is ignored by his parents. He embodies his nickname as he is small and undernourished with love and care. He is described as being a “thin ten-year-old, small, with a runny nose and blank expression. If you were to try and pick him out of a group of boys, you’d be wrong. He’d be the other one. Over at the side. The one your eye slipped over” (35). The narrator shares that his name is Donald, and yet the moniker of the Runt, given to him by his brothers, is such a part of his character that he uses it even after he leaves his family. October continues to call him that through the conclusion. 

The Runt is the sole dynamic and round character. Unlike the anthropomorphized months and Dearly, the Runt lives and grows, making life-altering decisions at a very young age.