Mrs. Gertrude Morel
Mrs. Morel is the wife of Mr. Morel and the mother of William, Paul, Annie and Arthur. She is born into a middle-class family and marries Mr. Morel after she meets him…
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Mr. Walter Morel
Mr. Morel is the husband of Mrs. Morel and the father of William, Paul, Annie and Arthur. Mr. Morel is a coalminer and works in the mines from the age of thirteen…
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William Morel
William Morel is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Morel and the elder brother of Annie, Paul, and Arthur. He is a cheerful, popular, and athletic child and is his mother’s favorite…
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Paul Morel
Paul Morel is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Morel and the brother of William, Annie, and Arthur. Paul is a serious and reflective child and Mrs. Morel worries about him extensively…
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Annie Morel
Annie Morel is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morel and the sister of William, Paul and Arthur. She is a practical girl and grows into a mature and sensible young woman. Annie…
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Arthur Morel
Arthur Morel is the youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Morel and the younger brother of William, Annie, and Paul. Arthur is a happy, lively child and, out of all the Morel…
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Miriam Leivers
Miriam is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leivers and the long-term girlfriend of Paul Morel. Paul meets Miriam when she is fourteen and continues to spend time with her into her early twenties…
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Clara Dawes
Clara Dawes is the wife of Baxter Dawes, the daughter of Mrs. Radford, and Paul Morel’s lover. Clara is estranged from her husband Baxter, whom she married young and found that she…
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Baxter Dawes
Baxter Dawes is the husband of Clara Dawes and Paul Morel’s rival when Paul becomes Clara’s lover. Baxter and Clara are separated (she left him because he cheated on her) and Baxter is self-destructive…
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Louisa Lily Denys Western
Louisa Lily Denys Western is a secretary in London and William’s fiancée before his death. Louisa is a shallow, immature girl, who has been spoiled by her indulgent upbringing. She comes from a wealthy…
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Mr. Leivers
Mr. Leivers is married to Mrs. Leivers and is the owner of Willey Farm. He is the father of Edgar, Miriam, Geoffrey, and Maurice and is a virile, handsome, and practical man…
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Mrs. Leivers
Mrs. Leivers is the wife of Mr. Leivers and the mother of Edgar, Miriam, Geoffrey, and Maurice. Mrs. Leivers is a deeply religious and highly refined woman. She is gentle and…
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Edgar Leivers
Edgar Leivers is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leivers and the brother of Miriam, Maurice, and Geoffrey. He is a serious and intelligent young man and strikes up a deep friendship…
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Mr. Heaton
Mr. Heaton is the minister of the parish where Mr. and Mrs. Morel live. He is a widower and friends with Mrs. Morel, whom he often visits when Paul is a baby. Mr. Heaton is…
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Mrs. Radford
Mrs. Radford is the mother of Clara Dawes. She works as a lace maker and is a hard but kindly woman. Paul Morel meets Mrs. Radford when he stays at Clara’s after their night…
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Mr. Jordan
Mr. Jordan is the manager of Jordan’s, the factory where Paul is offered a job. Mr. Jordan is a working-class man who has made his way in the world through manufacturing. This reflects growing social…
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Mr. Pappleworth
Mr. Pappleworth is Paul’s superior at Jordan’s. He is a clerk and a friendly, sociable man. At first, Mr. Pappleworth tries to assert his superiority over Paul by shouting at the factory girls in…
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Fanny
Fanny is a “hunchback” and works at Jordan’s as one of the “spiral girls” on the sewing machines. She is very sensitive and has had a hard life. She often believes the other girls are…
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Jerry Purdy
Jerry Purdy is a miner and a friend of Mr. Morel’s. He is a misogynist and believes that men should have supreme rights over their wives, who should live to serve and obey them…
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John Field
John Field is man with whom Mrs. Morel is friends as a young woman. She encourages him to follow his passion and go into the church, but John Field insists he must follow his father’s…
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Minor Characters
Geoffrey Leivers
Geoffrey Leivers is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leivers and the younger brother of Edgar, Miriam, and Maurice. Geoffrey is a serious and reserved boy and, like all the Leivers children, he struggles to make friends.
Maurice Leivers
Maurice Leivers is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leivers and the brother of Edgar, Miriam, and Geoffrey. He is a quiet, somewhat sullen boy and finds it hard to interact with people outside of his family.
Polly
Polly is the secretary for Paul’s department at Jordan’s. She is a young woman but is kind and motherly towards Paul and heats up his lunch and dinner for him every day, which Mrs. Morel gives him to take from home.
Minnie
Minnie is Mr. and Mrs. Morel’s maid.
Limb
Limb is a local farmer.
Hose
Hose is a man who employs the local women to mend stockings and other garments.
Beatrice Wyld
Beatrice Wyld is a friend of the Morel family and eventually marries Arthur Morel. She is a bright, quick, and witty young woman and a faithful wife to Arthur.
Agatha Leivers
Miriam's sister, and a teacher. Agatha has rejected the Leiver's family’s general lack of concern about worldly affairs and, in protest, is deeply focused on status and appearance—ideas that seem trivial to Miriam.
Leonard
Annie Leivers's fiance and, eventually, husband. He is good-natured and well-liked.
