The Adventures of Augie March

Eleanor Klein is one of Jimmy Klein’s sisters and an acquaintance of Augie. She’s the only Klein daughter who doesn’t get married, in part because she has health problems. Augie describes her as fat and lively. She dresses in bohemian clothing, knits funny hats for Augie and others, and likes to tell fortunes. Augie is fond of her, and she is likewise fond of him in a big-sisterly way. At one point, she heads to Mexico, where a Klein cousin has a successful garment factory. She hopes to gain some independence, or perhaps to have this cousin fall in love with and marry her. Her hopes don’t come to fruition, and in fact, the cousin evidently mistreats her in some way, although Jimmy (who tells the story to Augie) is vague about the details. Eleanor’s Mexican adventures in part inspire Augie when he decides to go south with Thea.