Small Things Like These Character Analysis

Bill Furlong

Bill Furlong is the coal and timber merchant of New Ross. Furlong works hard to provide for his wife, Eileen, and their five daughters. Furlong takes pride in how well his daughters manage to… read analysis of Bill Furlong

Eileen

Eileen is Bill Furlong’s wife. She is grateful to Furlong for the long hours he works outside the house to financially support the family. Furlong, in turn, acknowledges the hard work Eileen has put… read analysis of Eileen

Mrs. Wilson

Mrs. Wilson was Furlong’s mother’s employer, a Protestant woman of some means due to her late husband’s pension. The widow kindly took in Furlong’s mother after she became pregnant with Furlong—Furlong’s mother’s own family… read analysis of Mrs. Wilson

The Mother Superior

The Mother Superior is the corrupt nun who heads the convent at St. Margaret’s, as well as the convent’s Magdalene laundry. In New Ross, she functions as a symbolic and practical stand-in for the larger… read analysis of The Mother Superior

Ned

Ned is a farmhand who lived at Mrs. Wilson’s house when Furlong was growing up there. He, like Mrs. Wilson, treated Furlong with kindness. Ned took the young boy under his wing, teaching him… read analysis of Ned

Sarah Redmond

Sarah Redmond is a young woman whom Furlong discovers locked inside the coal shed at the convent when making a delivery one day. Furlong recognizes Sarah as a likely resident of the convent’s Magdalene laundry… read analysis of Sarah Redmond

Furlong’s Mother

Furlong’s mother, Sarah, died when Furlong was just 12 years old and only appears in the novel in Furlong’s memories. She was an unwed teenager when she became pregnant with Furlong, and her family… read analysis of Furlong’s Mother

The Dublin Girl

The Dublin girl is one of the Magdalene laundry residents Furlong encounters when he first witnesses the wretched conditions in which the girls and women committed there live. Furlong stumbles upon a group of the… read analysis of The Dublin Girl

Mrs. Kehoe

Mrs. Kehoe is a New Ross resident who operates Kehoe’s, the local restaurant where Furlong’s yardmen have supper after a long day’s work. After word spreads of Furlong’s “run-in” with the Mother Superior… read analysis of Mrs. Kehoe

The Young Nun

The young nun lives at St. Margaret’s and answers to the Mother Superior. When Furlong tries to glean information from Sarah Redmond, one of the young women committed to the convent’s horrific Magdalene… read analysis of The Young Nun

Minor Characters

Kathleen

Kathleen is Furlong and Eileen’s eldest daughter. She attends school at St. Margaret’s, where she excels academically.

Joan

Joan is one of Furlong and Eileen’s daughters, the second oldest. She, like her sisters, shows academic promise, and she’s also recently joined the choir at St. Margaret’s.

Sheila

Sheila is one of Furlong and Eileen’s daughters, the middle child. She, like the rest of the Furlong girls, shows academic promise.

Grace

Grace is one of Furlong and Eileen’s daughters, the second youngest. She, like her sisters, shows academic promise.

Loretta

Loretta is the youngest of Furlong and Eileen’s daughters. She cries when she sees the man dressed as Santa at a Christmas celebration on the Town Square, and Furlong fears she won’t have the strength required to get through life’s unceasing difficulties.

Mick Sinnott

Mick Sinnott lives in New Ross. He deals with alcoholism and struggles to provide for his family as a result. At one point, Eileen cites Mick as an example of someone who has brought their struggles on themselves, and her callousness shocks Furlong.

Small Things Like These Characters