y. Miles Roby: Dynamic, main character of the story and manager of the Empire Grill. While Miles spends the duration of the book trying to escape Empire Falls, his dream is almost realized as a teenager when he attends a small Catholic college in New York, but his dreams are cut short when his mother becomes ill and he needs to return to the world. city ​​to work to pay for his mother's medical bills. Everything seems to keep Miles in Empire Falls until Mrs. Whiting (a very influential and controlling figure in Mile's life) dies in a struggle with control. Although Miles chooses to still reside in Empire Falls, he does so by choice.b. David Roby: Dynamic, after causing a car accident while under the influence of alcohol, David gets sober and turns his life around. David becomes a chef at the Empire Grill and a regular cannabis smoker.c. Tick ​​Roby: Static, Miles Roby's intelligent and studious daughter. He suffers from mild scoliosis attributed to carrying a heavy backpack. While Tick witnesses a school shooting and experiences what could be identified as post-traumatic stress disorder, she appears to have recovered by the book's conclusion and returned to the compassionate, studious girl she was in the opening chapters.d. Mrs. Whiting: Dynamic, a controlling figure in a family that owns political interests (friend of Officer Minty) and capital (owns most of the town's land) in Empire Falls. While her husband altered the river's path for his industrial needs, he (and eventually his family) failed to control nature, and Mrs. Whiting becomes helpless as she is overwhelmed by a flash flood. CB Whiting: Dynamic, trying to control nature and the natural course of his life. In the beginning… in the middle of the paper… in that no matter who you are, you will never, ever be satisfied” (Russo 1382).i. While Miles' ex-wife, Janine, was starving herself in an attempt to regain control of her weight, she was never satisfied with her natural, biological ability to continue gaining weight.c. “No matter how well you planned something, God always planned better. If He was feeling stingy that day and didn't want you to have some little thing that you liked, then you wouldn't just get it” (Russo 5000).d. “They stayed, many, because staying was easier and less scary than leaving” (Russo 6739).e. “They don't give a damn, he decided, it's like the defrost option on a car's heater that miraculously defogs the windshield, allowing you to see where you're headed” (Russo 7136).f. Narrative details: dialogue, vivid images (5 senses), concrete details,