Question

Which character is the antagonist in this excerpt from “The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower” by Yei Theodora Ozaki?

After waiting several days, as the dog Shiro did not return, his master began to grow anxious. Day after day went by and the good old man waited in vain. Then he went to his neighbor and asked him to give him back his dog. Without any shame or hesitation, the wicked neighbor answered that he had killed Shiro because of his bad behavior. At this dreadful news Shiro’s master wept many sad and bitter tears. Great indeed, was his woeful surprise, but he was too good and gentle to reproach his bad neighbor. Learning that Shiro was buried under the yenoki tree in the field, he asked the old man to give him the tree, in remembrance of his poor dog Shiro.

Even the cross old neighbor could not refuse such a simple request, so he consented to give the old man the tree under which Shiro lay buried. Shiro’s master then cut the tree down and carried it home. Out of the trunk he made a mortar. In this his wife put some rice, and he began to pound it with the intention of making a festival to the memory of his dog Shiro.

Shiro’s master
Shiro
the neighbor
the master’s wife

Answer 1

The neighbor has to be the antagonist, because the protagonist loved his dog very much and his neighbor killed his dog, the protagonist even called his neighbor evil, so I would go with C, the neighbor.

Answer 2

The correct answer is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

The antagonist in a story is that who opposes or is hostile towards the main character.

In “The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower” by Yei Theodora Ozaki, the antagonist is the dog master's neighbour, because he killed the master's precious animal only because he believed the dog behaved badly.