54 pages • 1-hour read
The Antidote
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Character Analysis
Antonina “Toni” Rossi/The Antidote
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to death, child abuse, and racism.
The eponymous protagonist, the Antidote, whose real name is Antonina “Toni” Rossi, is a prairie witch. Though the people of Uz consider her an outsider because of her abilities, this does not prevent them from utilizing her services. Indeed, the people of Uz come to depend on the certainty that they can rid themselves of unpleasant memories with a simple visit to the Antidote. In this role, she symbolizes the habit among white settlers in the American West of forgetting the violence they committed against Indigenous people. Throughout the early parts of the novel, she is guarded and closed off as a narrator, unwilling to reveal much emotion to the reader. Gradually, it becomes apparent that she is marked by the trauma she experienced at an early age, first from the death of her grandmother and then from the abuse meted out at the Milford Home for Unwed Mothers. Antonina’s adult life is defined by her grief over the loss of her newborn son, taken by the Milford Home, and her sole purpose is to be reunited with him.
The Antidote’s resistance to revealing her true, given name indicates a guardedness and a hesitation to open up to or trust others. The moniker points to the ways in which she views herself as a solution or cure for the poison (in this case, painful memories) that plague her customers. The loss of her deposits on Black Sunday, however, impacts Antonina greatly. The deposits are what make her valuable in the town’s economy, and she fears how her customers will react. This leaves her emotionally defeated and pessimistic about her future. By befriending Dell, she learns to trust another person and allows herself to receive help. Quickly, however, Antonina begins feeling guilty for the “counterfeit” memories she and Dell create. Because she carries Sheriff Iscoe’s deposit/confession about framing Clemson Dew and hiding the body of Mink Petrusev, she feels complicit in his unjust actions. This guilt indicates that Antonina is a good and moral person who seeks to correct the wrongs in which she has participated.
By the end of the novel, Antonina has made meaningful connections with the other key characters and has achieved her life goal: She finds her son, though not in the way she expects. The knowledge of his life makes her complete and brings her a meaningful peace that will allow her to continue into the next phase of her life.
Asphodel “Dell” Oletsky
Asphodel “Dell” Oletsky is dynamic character and second protagonist of The Antidote. A headstrong and fearless teenager, Dell is defined by the absence of her mother. Though initially she has little desire to live in Uz or to befriend her uncle, she eventually becomes an important part of the community and develops a bond with her uncle, Harp Oletsky. Playing basketball makes her feel alive and joyful; she is competitive and fiercely motivated to win. Dell lets nothing stand in the way of her goals, as evidenced by her taking on the role of player-coach and then overcoming obstacles to lead her teammates to victory in the tournament. It is her determination to succeed—which requires money—that compels Dell to seek out an apprenticeship with the Antidote. During their work together, Dell demonstrates her creativity, resourcefulness, and ingenuity as she frequently develops and executes unorthodox plans, such as creating “counterfeit” memories, to achieve her goals. Challenges do not deter or frustrate Dell; instead, she rises to them, eager to overcome them.
Dell is deeply impacted by the death of her mother. Where others assume Dell would be eager to enact revenge on her mother’s murderer, Dell maturely and wisely recognizes that executing the man who killed her mother will not end the pain she feels over the loss of her mother. Instead of funneling her emotions toward anger, she focuses on remembering her mother and finding ways to keep her presence with her.
Harp Oletsky
Quiet, mild, and unassuming, Harp is a middle-aged wheat farmer who keeps to himself. Kind and observant, he cares deeply for his niece Dell, though he is unsure of how to connect with her. Reserved and hardworking, Harp is surprised when, against all logic, his wheat crop succeeds during the drought. Though he is grateful for this, any true joy he might experience is overshadowed by feelings of guilt and the fear that his good fortune will alienate him from a devastated community. He accepts his success quietly, not drawing attention to himself or boasting. That he is elected Grange Master indicates that his peers respect and admire him, regarding Harp as a knowledgeable farmer who has insight that they do not.
As the novel unfolds, Harp indeed inadvertently distances himself from his community by helping two outsiders: Antonina Rossi and Cleo Allfrey. Whereas other citizens of Uz are proud of their status as citizens and insiders, Harp seeks to distance himself from their exclusive tendencies. Indeed, as he learns of the harms done to the native Pawnee who once lived on the land now claimed by Uz, he feels a great deal of sorrow and responsibility for their suffering. Harp comes to understand that the harms perpetrated by his ancestors have a negative impact on the present—he seeks to right this wrong in order to protect future generations from such harm. By standing up to Sheriff Iscoe and exposing the injustices that have taken place, Harp risks further ostracization, but this is risk he is willing to take because of his strong moral inclination toward justice. In the end, the novel suggests that the tornado spares Harp’s life because of the good will he has extended to others.
Cleo Allfrey
A young photographer, Cleo Allfrey hails from the East Coast and is passionate about her art and her work with the federal government’s Resettlement Administration (RA). Cleo’s role as an RA photographer recalls the work of real-life RA photographers including the celebrated Dorothea Lange, who documented the suffering of those displaced in the Dust Bowl. As a young African American woman, Cleo has no illusions about how the world regards her. She is accustomed to being treated unfairly because of her race, being overcharged (like the Antidote) for things such as room and board simply because she is a person of color. Knowing, too, that much of the nation regards women as second-class citizens, Cleo often dresses as a man while working, not necessarily setting out to deceive anyone but also not correcting them when they call her “sir.” She is resourceful and determined to make her way in the world, overcoming the obstacles presented to her in innovative ways. One of those obstacles takes the form of her boss, who repeatedly criticizes the photos that Cleo produces. Cleo has a keen eye and an unusual gift for capturing compelling scenes and moments through her photography, understanding the power of a photo to compel attention and empathy. Unwilling to compromise her artistic integrity, she repeatedly challenges her boss despite her understanding that doing so could cost her job. Ultimately, Cleo quits her job in order to pursue her art, certain that maintaining her integrity and standing by her values is more important than maintaining her livelihood. Indeed, Cleo proves to be a trustworthy and committed friend to the Oletskys and to the Antidote when she discovers that she can play a role in exposing the wrongdoings of the sheriff. Indeed, though she cannot explain the abilities of the camera she possesses, she feels compelled to act as an agent for justice, bravely risking her own safety by revealing the truth.
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