Varjak Paw - Characters

Characters

• Varjak Paw, a young kitten and the main protagonist of the story
• Jalal, Varjak's ancestor and a great warrior that teaches Varjak "The Way"
• Holly, a friend who Varjak meets Outside
• Tam, Holly's good friend who is constantly preoccupied with food
• Elder Paw, Varjak's grandfather and one of the few who remembers The Way of Jalal
• Sally Bones, the mysterious white cat who lords over the West Side
• Ginger, the ruler of the East Side
• The Contessa, the old woman who owns Varjak's home
• The Gentleman, a mysterious man who appears one day at the Contessa's house
• The Black Cats, two pure black cats that accompany The Gentleman everywhere.
• Cludge, a young dog who Varjak meets

Varjak Paw's name is allusion to the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. In the film, one of the main characters, Paul Varjak, has written a book called "Nine Lives". When he and another character look for the book in the library catalog, it is listed as "Nine Lives by Varjak, Paul". S.F. Said is not known to have commented on this connection.