Blowin' in the Wind

Bob Dylan

Blowin' in the Wind

Bob Dylan
19 pages38-minute read
Fiction
Poem
Adult
Published in 1962

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

The nameless, genderless narrator of the poem functions as a universal voice of curiosity and engagement. They notice the injustices, brutality, and apathy that permeate society. Possessing a humble and conversational demeanor, they do not claim to hold the solutions to the world's ails, instead directing attention to outside forces for resolution.

Key Relationships

Companion of My Friend

Relies on answers from The Wind

Questions the struggles of A Man

Observes the journey of The White Dove

The wind acts as an abstract but potent force containing the solutions to the world's ongoing issues. Functioning almost as a character itself, it represents constant change and the current moment of cultural activism. It operates as a mobile, free entity capable of blowing away longstanding barbaric norms and societal barriers.

Key Relationships

Holds answers for The Speaker

Supporting Characters

The silent addressee of the poem's chorus. They represent the listener or reader receiving the speaker's guidance. By being spoken to conversationally, they are invited to look at the world's horrors and understand that the resolution to these massive issues exists in the winds of change.

Key Relationships

Addressed by The Speaker

A generalized representative of humanity who features prominently in the speaker's questions. He is subjected to endless trials, walking down arduous roads and facing systemic inequality before receiving basic rights. In other stanzas, he represents the apathetic observer who turns his head and pretends not to see the suffering around him.

Key Relationships

Observed by The Speaker

A personified figure representing peace. She sails endlessly across the seas, forced into constant motion by the persistent presence of global war and conflict. Her ultimate goal is to find rest in the sand, an outcome that remains impossible as long as violence dominates the earth.

Key Relationships

Symbolic subject of The Speaker