Content Warning: This guide contains references to death by suicide and people with alcohol addictions. The referenced book engages in ableism and stereotypes about physical disabilities. It depicts people with physical disabilities in a problematic manner.

William Stoner is the titular protagonist of this novel. The story is told through a third-person limited narrative point-of-view that focuses on Stoner’s feelings and experiences. Stoner is introduced post-mortem as a forgettable man. This immediately introduces him as an average antihero whose quiet and typical life is nonetheless worthy of celebration. Stoner is a round and dynamic character, changing throughout the story.

Stoner is raised on a farm in Missouri, which teaches him the value of hard work and solitude at a young age. Stoner grows up lonely, with only his parents as company. Stoner is apathetic to farming, but his fate is to take over the family farm and he fulfills his duty to his family. But major plot twist occurs when Stoner takes a mandatory English course in college and falls in love with literature. Literature opens Stoner up to feelings and thoughts he never had before. Stoner turns away from farming and pursues his own passion.