Margaret Along with her sister-in-law, Mary, Margaret is one of the wives referred to in the title. Both are “recent brides,” and still “young and comely”; that is, attractive. She has a “lively and irritable temperament,” and is bitter, virtually inconsolable, about her husband’s death. She declines eating the meal Mary offers her, saying, in…
Tag: Characters
Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Characters
Devlin Devlin is a business associate of Dexter’s. He tells Dexter that Judy’s beauty has faded and she has become a passive housewife to an alcoholic and abusive husband. Dexter Green The story follows its main character, Dexter Green, over several years of his life. Fourteen at the beginning of the story, he is confident…
To Da-Duh, in Memoriam: Characters
Da-duh Da-duh is the narrator’s eighty-year-old grandmother. She has lived her whole life on Barbados and is confident and proud of her lifestyle, surroundings, and ways of looking at the world. She dislikes the trappings of the modern world, such as any form of machinery, and is uncomfortable in the city of Bridgetown. When Da-duh…
That in Aleppo Once by Vladimir Nabokov: Characters
Gleb Alexandrovich Gekko An acquaintance of both the narrator and V. who has also emigrated to the United States, Gekko supplies the narrator with V.’s address. Holmes Holmes is the “plain-clothes man” from the Nice police who assists the narrator in the search for his wife. Unlike his namesake, the infallible detective Sherlock Holmes, he…
The Replacement by Alain Robbe-Grillet: Characters
The Children in the Classroom The children in the classroom all exhibit similar behavior. Most of the time they reveal their inattentiveness. While the first boy is reading, they whisper among themselves instead of following along in the text. They also spend a lot of time staring at a paper puppet hanging at the front…
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream: Characters
AM Although not human, the computer, which calls itself AM, is perhaps the main character in the story. Originally, AM was one of several national computers designed to fight wars for the nation that owned it. Eventually, the computers learned to link themselves to each other, forming one supercomputer. When this supercomputer awoke, or became…
How to Tell a True War Story: Characters
Stink Harris Slink Harris has a very small role in this story, although he figures in other stories in The Things They Carried. Dave Jensen Dave Jensen is a minor character in this story, a fellow member of Tim’s platoon. Rat Kiley Ral Kiley is another member of Tim’s platoon. The story opens with Tim…
The Green Leaves by Grace Ogot: Characters
The European Police Officer He comes to the village to find out who murdered the thief. His chief function is to reveal the differences in values between European and local justice systems. By enforcing a Western legal system, the European police officer represents a colonial mind-set that views African culture as backwards and Europe as…
The Dog of Tithwal: Characters
Bashir A soldier in the Pakistani army, Bashir sings the song, “Where did you spend the night, my love, my moon?” Subedar Himmat Khan, fellow soldier, turns the song into an accusation of treachery against Jhun Jhun. Bashir is the soldier who reads the sign around Jhun Jhun’s neck that gives the dog’s name as…
Dante and the Lobster: Characters
The Aunt Belacqua’s aunt lives in Dublin. He goes and visits her, bringing her a lobster for their meal. She is a very down-to-earth and practical person, focused on the facts of everyday life. In many ways, she is the opposite of Belacqua. Mademoiselle Glain Mademoiselle Glain teaches French lessons next door to the room…