Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

The Recession

There's not a specific person who is the bad guy in A Year Down Yonder (though Carleen Lovejoy would certainly get a lot of votes in a straw poll). No, the main antagonist is the recession, which has impacted so many lives and torn Mary Alice's family apart. Because of the economic decline, she has to live with her grandmother while her parents get back on their feet financially and her brother Joey goes out west to plant trees.