Robin is the story’s protagonist. He is the country-bred son of a clergyman. At 18 years old, he sets out for Boston, hoping to locate his kinsman, Major Molineux. He assumes that he will be able to easily find his kinsman, who will help him get his start in life. Because of his relation to Molineux, Robin is confident that the city-dwellers will provide a warm welcome and treat him respectfully. When he is disregarded by the Bostonians he encounters, his naivete becomes apparent.

As the narrative progresses, Robin becomes dissociative and begins wondering who he is. Following this purgatorial state, he is comforted by a stranger who ultimately encourages Robin to makes his way in the city without the help of his kinsman.

Throughout the story, Robin’s encounters and observations place him between the city’s sinfulness and his rural wholesomeness. His purity is maintained when he does not drink at the inn or cave to the prostitute’s advances. However, upon bursting into maniacal laughter at the sight of his tarred-and-feathered kinsman, Robin shows that he is capable of succumbing to the same barbarous impulses as the Bostonians.