In some Malamud ghost stories, there may be a villainous character who uses the presence of the ghosts for their own malicious purposes. This character might be trying to gain power or wealth through manipulating the fear and chaos that the ghosts bring. Their actions create conflict and drive the plot forward as the protagonist tries to stop them.
Another theme might be the blurring of the real and the supernatural. The presence of ghosts challenges the characters' perception of what is real, making them question their beliefs and the nature of their existence. It forces them to reevaluate their worldviews. For example, a character might initially be a skeptic but then be confronted with undeniable evidence of the supernatural, which shakes their foundation of reality.
Typical characters in Malamud short stories are often Jewish - American individuals. They can be poor immigrants or descendants of immigrants struggling to make a living and find their place in society. For instance, many are shopkeepers or working - class people.
Typical characters are often Jewish immigrants. These characters bring with them their cultural heritage and the challenges of adapting to a new land. They are usually ordinary people trying to find their place in the world.
The main characters are likely to be the ghost that offers the bargain and the person who is on the receiving end of it. There could also be secondary characters like friends or family of the person involved in the bargain. They might be used to show how the bargain affects the person's relationships. For example, they could be skeptical or worried about the person's new - found connection with the ghost during Christmas time.
Since it's the 'war of the ghost's story', we can assume that there are likely to be warriors or soldiers on the human side. They would be fighting in the war that is central to the story. As for the ghost side, there could be some sort of spectral leaders or entities. Maybe there's a character who can communicate with both the living soldiers and the ghosts, and this character could also be a main character as they bridge the two worlds.
Without having read the story, it's difficult to determine the main characters precisely. However, in a ghost story, there is often a protagonist like Starfall, and then there could be other characters such as a local medium who tries to communicate with the ghost, or a villainous figure who somehow caused the presence of the ghost in the first place.
I don't know for sure as I haven't read the story. But I assume there would be dairymen as main characters, and perhaps some other people associated with the dairy like the owner or a local who has some connection to the spooky events.
Since I don't know the story in detail, it might have a group of characters. There could be a skeptic who doesn't believe in ghosts at first but is later convinced. And perhaps an old local who knows the secrets about the ghost in the story and tries to warn the others.
In 'the ghost story', the main characters could be the people who encounter the ghost. Maybe a group of curious kids or a brave investigator.
As I don't know the particular '1930 ghost story', it could have a protagonist like a young journalist who is investigating the strange happenings. There might also be an old caretaker of the haunted place who has some secrets.