Character Study: Happy Henry from Wigford Rememberies

Wigford Rememberies by Kyp Harness (Nightwood Editions) features a cast of characters living in a small town in Southwestern Ontario. Through a series of vignettes, Harness shares with the reader impressions of these rural dwellers from their subtle moods to much larger life-altering moments. Kyp Harness delves into the psyche of one of his characters, Happy Henry, below to give us a taste of what life in Wigford is like.

Meet Happy Henry, a long black-coated traveller spreading the word of the Lord as he walks the streets and sideroads of the rural community of Wigford, handing out his Bible tracts and baring his optimistic open heart to all in the stores, in the barber shops and on the sidewalks to lead them to the Good News, though this desire is often inextricable from his joy at being allowed to play the organ at the various churches he frequents throughout the county as he persists in his pilgrimage, undimmed by inclement weather or the jousts from some of the cynical and cruel taunters he encounters in the donut shops or at the mall – though some show mercy to what they believe are his delusions, and a few suspect he might be a saint as he trudges on the gravel road shoulders as cars whizz past, his Salvation Army shoes often encased by plastic bread bags to ward off the rain and snow.* * *Thank you to Nightwood Editions, especially Nathaniel G. Moore, for connecting us with Kyp, and to Kyp for sharing some insights into his character.