Monument 14

Niko is another high-school junior and also considered an outcast. He is nicknamed “Brave Hunter Man” because he lives in the foothills with his grandfather and hunts for his own food (4). He is instrumental in rescuing many students from the bus during the hailstorm. Later, the students elect him leader, replacing Jake. Dean notes of him: “The kid was utterly straight and totally trustworthy” (129). His is A-blood type and contracts blisters when exposed to the chemical compound.

Niko has a crush on Josie, but she does not return his affection until the end of the novel. He is also a Boy Scout, a fact that inspires ridicule from Brayden but which has endowed him with survival and planning skills. He develops tasks for everyone and a survival plan in the Greenway. At the end of the novel, he prepares everyone to leave the store and drives the bus towards Denver Airport. 

Jake is a senior and “football hero and all-around champion of the popular” (2). His looks and popularity guarantee him a spot at the very top of the social hierarchy of the group. He is close friends with Brayden and sexually-involved with Astrid Heyman. Mrs. Wooly puts Jake in charge when she leaves the students at the Greenway, but he loses his place as leader to Niko during the election. As time goes on, Jake does not perform his assigned tasks, but rather drinks and gets high with Brayden, becoming increasingly withdrawn as time goes on. His is B-blood type and suffers erectile dysfunction as a result. On the twelfth day, Jake volunteers to go out to see if the hospital is open. Once he reaches the hospital and sees that it is closed, he decides to leave the group and venture out on his own.

Astrid is a high-school senior and at the top of the social hierarchy. She is someone who “wouldn’t be told what to do” (17). Dean describes her as very beautiful, with “shining blond ringlets, June sky-blue eyes, slightly furrowed brow, always kiting back a smile, champion diver on the swim team” (26). At first, Astrid is in charge of cooking for everyone at the Greenway. She is O-blood type and attacks Batiste when she is exposed to chemicals via water. On the third day, she removes herself from the group and stays in an area in the ceiling. She comes down at night to eat and meet with Jake. At the end of the novel, Astrid decides to stay in the Greenway to protect her unborn child. 

Brayden is a popular junior who ranks high in the social hierarchy. Like Jake, he is very handsome, and “every time he was around [the girls would] twitter and preen” (18). His father works for NORAD, and he often mentions this. Brayden consistently makes fun of Dean and doesn’t let up even when Jake gains more respect for Dean. He begins a relationship with Josie as time goes on in the Greenway. Robbie shoots him in the shoulder, and he suffers from a serious wound. His situation is dire when the students move him onto the bus at the end of the novel. 

Alex is Dean’s younger brother, and is in middle school. He is highly analytical and intelligent and “locally famous for being good with computers and machines” (17). During their time at the Greenway, Alex works closely with Niko Mills to improve life for the students. His closeness to Niko makes Dean jealous, as the two friends spend more time together. Alex rigs up video walkie-talkies, which the students use at the end of the novel to see the outside. His blood type is B. 

Josie is 16 and described as a “hippie activist” (3). She sustains a head wound during the hailstorm and is largely unresponsive and withdrawn for the first three days. She rallies to break up a fight and then takes on a maternal role by caring for the younger students. She begins a relationship with Brayden but then gets closer to Niko towards the end of the novel. When she sees Robbie attacking Niko, she shoots and kills the former. 

Sahalia is an eighth grader who hangs out with the older kids and longs to be considered one of them. Dean describes her as a “sexy thirteen-year-old” (101). The novel consistently depicts her outfits as revealing and intended to capture male attention. She spends time with Jake and Brayden and becomes jealous when Josie starts dating the latter. After becoming close to Robbie, he physically violates her.  

Chloe is a “chubby and tan and very energetic” third-grader (28). Dean considers her annoying and demanding.

Batiste is a very religious 8-year-old who considers “himself the authority on sinning” (29). He is a good cook and helps Dean often in the kitchen. 

Ulysses is a quiet, Mexican first-grader. Dean describes him as, “[t]his sweet, Spanish-speaking kid, alone with a bunch of Anglos” (120). He bonds with Robbie, another Spanish-speaker.

Max is a first-grader who tells a lot of mature stories he’s heard or experienced, such as ones related to domestic abuse or his alcoholic parents. Dean notes, “I was getting the feeling that Max had lived a very, very interesting life” (80).

Henry and Caroline are the youngest students in the Greenway. They consistently ask for their mother and end up remaining with Dean and Astrid at the end of the novel.

Craig Appleton is the district’s school chancellor. He arrives with Robbie to the Greenway with an injured leg. He dies from his wounds at the end of the novel. 

Robbie is a Latino maintenance worker at Lewis Palmer High School. He arrives at the Greenway with Mr. Appleton after hearing the message from Mrs. Wooly. He fixes the school bus, becomes close with the children, and physically violates Sahalia. Josie shoots and kills him when he attacks Niko.