Ethel Matthews Character Analysis in Voyage in the Dark

Anna meets Ethel Matthews at a rundown boardinghouse shortly after Walter leaves her. An entrepreneurial and opportunistic person, Ethel immediately notices Anna’s expensive coat and makes a point of befriending her. She claims to be a trained nurse, though what she really wants to do is open a massage parlor. She insists that she’s only living in the rundown boardinghouse because her flat in a much nicer part of town is under renovation. She also goes on at length about how respectable her massage and manicure business will be, eventually convincing Anna to rent a room in her flat and work as a manicurist—that is, if she puts up some money in advance. Anna isn’t particularly interested in becoming a manicurist, but she takes Ethel up on her offer. At first, Ethel is kind and excited, but she soon turns on Anna and berates her for always moping around. All the while, Ethel maintains that she runs a respectable business, insinuating that other massage businesses are really covert sex-work operations. And yet, she subtly urges Anna to entice the customers, and when Anna goes out late with Carl one night, Ethel suggests that she should go out with men as much as she wants and even bring them back to the flat—as long as she doesn’t mind paying extra in rent. The implication is that Ethel wants Anna to become a discreet sex worker. When Anna gets pregnant, though, Ethel kicks her out, claiming that she’s disreputable and that she owes her money.

Ethel Matthews Quotes in Voyage in the Dark

The Voyage in the Dark quotes below are all either spoken by Ethel Matthews or refer to Ethel Matthews. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Homesickness, Memory, and Belonging Theme Icon

‘I hate men,’ Ethel said. ‘Men are devils, aren’t they? But of course I don’t really care a damn about them. Why should I? I can earn my own living. I’m a masseuse—I’m a Swedish masseuse. And, mind you, when I say I’m a masseuse I don’t mean like some of these dirty foreigners. Don’t you hate foreigners?’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘I don’t think I do; but, you see, I don’t know many.’

‘What?’ Ethel said, looking surprised and suspicious, ‘you don’t hate them?’

Related Characters: Ethel Matthews (speaker), Anna Morgan (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 110

Explanation and Analysis:

As Ethel explains to Anna for the first time that she’s a masseuse, she goes out of her way to imply that she isn’t a sex worker. The intensity with which she insists on her own professional legitimacy is a little suspicious, as if she’s actively trying to hide her true intentions. Nevertheless, she emphasizes that she’s an honorable professional, and as she says this, she makes a xenophobic remark about “dirty foreigners” (whom, she implies, use massage businesses as a front for sex work). Her comment about foreigners fails to take into account that Anna herself is a foreigner, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum vo

‘Well, I don’t need to be here either,’ I said. ‘I can get as much money as I like any time I like.’ I stretched, and watched my swollen shadow on the wall stretching too.

She said, ‘Well, I should say so—a lovely girl like you. And well under twenty, I should say. I’ve got a spare bedroom in my flat. Why don’t you come along and live with me for a bit? I’m looking for somebody to share with me. As a matter of fact I’d almost fixed it up with a pal of mine. She’ll put in twenty-five pounds and do the manicure and we’ll start a little business.’

‘Oh yes?’ I said.

‘Well, just between ourselves, I shan’t mind if I don’t fix it up with her. She’s a bit of a Nosey Parker. Why don’t you think it over? I’ve got a lovely spare room.’

Related Characters: Ethel Matthews (speaker), Anna Morgan (speaker), Walter Jeffries, Vincent

Page Number and Citation: 112

Explanation and Analysis:

In one of her first conversations with Anna, Ethel sizes her up to get a sense of whether or not she has money. Ethel herself says that she has an expensive flat in a nice part of town and that she’s only living in the rundown boardinghouse because her flat is under renovation. Anna, in turn, says that she can get “as much money as [she] likes any time.” She’s most likely referring to the fact that she could, if she wanted, write to Walter and ask for some financial support, since Vincent originally said that Walter would continue to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus

‘Of course,’ she said, ‘you must be a bit nice to them.’

‘Why not ten bob?’ she said. ‘That’s all right. Everybody’s got their living to earn and if people do things thinking that they’re going to get something that they don’t get, what’s it matter to you or me or anybody else? You let them talk. You can take it from me that when it comes to it they’re all so damned afraid of a scene that they’re off like a streak of lightning at the slightest…’

Related Characters: Ethel Matthews (speaker), Anna Morgan

Page Number and Citation: 142

Explanation and Analysis:

When Anna moves into Ethel’s flat and trains to be a manicurist, Ethel teaches her the tricks of the trade. In particular, she urges Anna to be “nice” to the male clients—a somewhat suggestive piece of advice, considering that it later becomes clear that Ethel hopes Anna will have sex with male clients and share the profits with her. In this moment, though, she simply implies that Anna should make it seem like she might have sex with the clients and then charge inflated prices based on their lustful expectations. When they realize she won’t have sex with them, Ethel Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necess

‘Did you have a good time? I bet you did. Redman’s a nice man. He knows his way about, you can tell that. Oh, I bet he knows his way about. You know, kid, I’ve been thinking you’ll want to go out more with your friends and not feel you’ve got to be in all day. I don’t mind, but we may have to talk it over a bit about the rent.’

Related Characters: Ethel Matthews (speaker), Anna Morgan, Carl Redman

Page Number and Citation: 158

Explanation and Analysis:

While Anna is living at Ethel’s flat and working as a manicurist, Carl visits her one day and takes her out for the night. She doesn’t return until quite late, but Ethel doesn’t mind. In fact, she seems pleased that a man like Carl is interested in Anna. She insinuates that Carl must be an experienced lover, saying that he probably “knows his way about.” The main reason she’s not mad at Anna for staying out so late, though, is that she wants to encourage her to indulge wealthy men’s attention. To that end, she suggests that Anna should “go Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus vo

Ethel Matthews Character Timeline in Voyage in the Dark

The timeline below shows where the character Ethel Matthews appears in Voyage in the Dark. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...boarder at the house interrupts her efforts by entering her room and introducing herself as Ethel Matthews. A slightly older woman, she claims to be a trained nurse, which is why... (full context)

Ethel takes Anna to the movies. Anna isn’t particularly interested in the film, but Ethel wants... (full context)

Ethel talks about how much she dislikes foreigners, but Anna doesn’t know what to say in... (full context)

...can get as much money as she wants whenever it suits her. Her comment interests Ethel, who speaks admiringly about Anna’s youthful looks and then suggests that she should live in... (full context)

...dress will somehow change their circumstances. With these thoughts in mind, she decides to go Ethel Matthews’s flat. (full context)

After ringing the wrong bell and encountering Ethel’s grumpy downstairs neighbor, Anna goes upstairs with Ethel and is impressed by her spacious flat.... (full context)

Ethel brings Anna some food and sits by the bed while she eats it. She goes... (full context)

Anna’s first weeks working for Ethel are mostly characterized by Ethel’s frequent tirades about how “respectable” her business is—especially compared to... (full context)

After three weeks at Ethel’s, Anna stops going out, preferring instead to sleep and think about Walter. Her mopey attitude... (full context)

...with Laurie and two men. She doesn’t return until very late that night, which makes Ethel angry. The next day, Ethel confronts her and says it was very inconsiderate of her... (full context)

...the massage couch broke and the client’s foot landed in a bowl of hot water. Ethel blames Anna for making the water in the bowl too hot. The man, for his... (full context)

...accepts the idea of leaving and is, for all intents and purposes, unfazed by what Ethel has said. Just as she’s about to go, though, Ethel bursts into tears. She mentions... (full context)

...around. Feeling that she’s about to cry, she gets on a bus and returns to Ethel’s flat, where Ethel has undergone a total transformation. She warmly welcomes Anna back and apologizes... (full context)

...bed all day. She knows she should figure out a way to move out of Ethel’s flat, but all she can do is lie there, so she distracts herself by thinking... (full context)

...take her to dinner without Joe. They spend the evening together and then return to Ethel’s flat. Ethel herself isn’t there, but she has left out two bottles of champagne for... (full context)

In the morning, Ethel wakes Anna and asks about her time with Carl. She likes Carl and doesn’t mind... (full context)

Carl doesn’t return for several days, which seems to make Ethel nervous. Finally, he calls and invites Anna to dinner, and they develop a regular routine... (full context)

Anna has dinner with a man and takes him back to her room in Ethel’s flat. She’s quite drunk and decides to throw her shoe at a frame hanging on... (full context)

Laurie reads Anna a letter she received from Ethel, who contacted her to complain about Anna. A week ago, Ethel forced Anna to move... (full context)

Anna tells Laurie that she doesn’t owe Ethel money. In fact, Ethel owes her money, since she borrowed some and never paid it... (full context)

Ethel Matthews Character Analysis

Ethel Matthews Quotes in Voyage in the Dark

Part Two: Chapter 1 Quotes

Part Three: Chapter 1 Quotes

Part Three: Chapter 3 Quotes

Ethel Matthews Character Timeline in Voyage in the Dark