Nineteen-year-old Pepe Torres is the protagonist in "Flight." He is tall, thin, and awkward, living on the family farm with his widowed mother, younger brother, and younger sister. Although his mother thinks he is "fine and brave," there is no evidence to suggest he is anything other than lazy. However, he is quite adept at throwing his father's switchblade and is eager to prove his manhood.

In Monterey, Pepe gets drunk and stabs a man during an argument. He tries to convince his mother of his newfound manhood but refuses to fully accept responsibility for his actions. At one point, he even claims, "[T]he knife—it went almost by itself." Pepe then escapes to the mountains, taking only his father's coat, rifle, and a few supplies. During his flight, he loses his hat, provisions, rifle, and horse—everything necessary for survival. This carelessness underscores how much Pepe still needs to learn about being a responsible adult.

Without any survival skills and with a hand infection turning gangrenous, Pepe becomes exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, eventually resorting to crawling away from his pursuers like a desperate animal. His parched mouth can no longer form words. Despite his degradation, he manages to stand up—like a man—to confront his pursuers and face his death.

Mama
See Mrs. Torres

Papa
See Mr. Torres

Mrs. Rodriguez
Mrs. Rodriguez resides in Monterey and is a friend of the Torres family. Although she does not make an appearance in the story, it is at her residence that Pepe gets drunk and stabs an intoxicated stranger. Her home serves as the sole social gathering place in the narrative.

Mr. Torres
Mr. Torres is the father of Pepe, who passed away ten years before the events of the story. He died after tripping over a stone and falling onto a rattlesnake. The switchblade Pepe now carries was inherited from his father. Though the story only briefly mentions his death, his presence is continually felt throughout.

Mrs. Torres
Mrs. Torres, Pepe's widowed mother, lives on their seaside farm with her two sons and daughter. She is determined to maintain the household without a man's assistance. She keeps her younger children home from school so they can fish and provide food for the family. She believes Pepe is "fine and brave," despite little evidence to support this view. In reality, she often scolds Pepe for being lazy and calls him foolish when he claims to be a man.

When Pepe returns from an errand in Monterey and informs his mother that he must flee, she helps him pack, admitting she had been concerned about his quick reflexes with a knife. Despite his failure to avoid trouble during the errand, she believes that Pepe's experience in Monterey has turned him into "a man now," for "[h]e has a man's thing to do."