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Lucy Josephine Potter
An au pair for a wealthy American family, and the
novel’s protagonist and narrator. More than anything, Lucy wants to escape the
influence of her native land, a British-ruled Caribbean island, but her
homesickness and difficult relationship with her mother stand in her way.
Sharply observant and frequently critical, she grows close to her employers
while remaining keenly aware of the disparate circumstances separating her from
them. Lucy unapologetically enjoys her sexual encounters with men but reserves
her deepest, most painful feelings for her relationships with women. Though she
suffers persistent dissatisfaction and disillusion as her new existence fails to
meet her expectations, she also experiences moments of hope and peace and
demonstrates great strength and determination in her quest to live on her own
terms.
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in-depth analysis of Lucy Josephine Potter.
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Mariah
The woman of the household in which Lucy works. Though Mariah holds
liberal views, she inadvertently offends Lucy with the naïveté and arrogance of
her privileged upbringing. Still, Mariah demonstrates more generosity and
kindness than others in her class, and Lucy comes to view her as a mother
figure. As Mariah’s marriage declines, she becomes increasingly vulnerable,
which leads Lucy to understand that even the wealthy have
problems.
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in-depth analysis of Mariah.
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Lewis
The man of the household in which Lucy works. Despite his
friendliness and good humor, Lewis epitomizes Lucy’s worst ideas about men when
he cheats on Mariah. Handsome and rich, he has spent his life getting what he
wants with little effort, and Lucy believes that he manipulates Mariah into
ending their marriage so as to avoid taking blame for the relationship’s
demise.
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Annie Potter
Lucy’s mother. Left behind in Lucy’s homeland, Annie makes no
physical appearance in the novel, but she nonetheless has an immense presence in
Lucy’s life. Often portrayed as godlike, Annie holds a place in Lucy’s heart as
her first, and possibly only, great love. However, she discouraged Lucy’s
educational and career aspirations while supporting her sons’ goals, which
infuriates Lucy. Annie’s strained relationship with Lucy affects all aspects of
Lucy’s life and sparks fears that Lucy will never overcome her
past.
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in-depth analysis of Annie Potter.
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The Maid
A servant in Lewis and Mariah’s household. One of the first people
Lucy meets in America, the maid treats Lucy with hostility and increases her
feelings of isolation.
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Sylvie
Lucy’s mother’s friend. Sylvie has had a difficult existence, which
left her with a scar on her cheek that Lucy views as a symbol of real
life.
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Gus
Mariah’s family’s hired hand. Gus brings out Lucy’s sympathies when
Mariah treats him imperiously, but Lucy, deciding his Swedish ancestry makes him
too different from her, refrains from reaching out to him.
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Lucy’s Father
The first important male figure in Lucy’s life. A philanderer who
kept his distance from Lucy, he set the stage for Lucy’s dismissive attitude
toward men. His death gives Lucy the resolve to leave Mariah and Lewis’s
apartment.
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Tanner
The boy with whom Lucy first explores her sexuality. Tanner and Lucy
share a purely physical bond that arouses Lucy so much that she grows curious
about the pleasures that other boys may have to offer.
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Miriam
Lewis and Mariah’s youngest daughter. Miriam reminds Lucy of herself
as a child and of her early experiences with her mother. Though her role in the
novel is small, she bears the distinction of being the one person toward whom
Lucy exhibits unconditional love.
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Louisa
Lewis and Mariah’s oldest daughter. Entering adolescence, Louisa
shows signs of rebellion against Mariah that recall Lucy’s initial defiance of
her mother.
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May and Jane
Lewis and Mariah’s two other daughters. Though Lucy focuses little on
their individual characteristics, May and Jane share the charming playfulness of
all of Lewis and Mariah’s brood. Lucy wishes her own mother had cultivated those
traits in her and hopes one day to raise such happy, free-spirited children
herself.
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The Boy in the Library
An acquaintance who abruptly kisses Lucy. The boy and Lucy meet
regularly for wordless sexual encounters until Lucy grows tired of
him.
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Dinah
Mariah’s best friend. Dinah impresses Mariah with her generosity and
zest for life, but Lucy finds her arrogant, envious, and vain, a view
confirmed when Lucy catches her sexually involved with
Lewis.
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Peggy
Lucy’s best friend. Peggy impresses Lucy with her fun-loving,
carefree attitude, but the differences between her and Lucy, as well as Lucy’s
association with Paul, eventually come between them. Lucy often compares their
relationship to that of disgruntled lovers, and her inability to maintain
closeness with Peggy shows Lucy’s difficulty in sustaining her most intimate
ties. Still, by renting an apartment with Lucy, Peggy serves an important role
in Lucy’s independence from Mariah and her mother.
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Hugh
Dinah’s brother and Lucy’s first North American boyfriend.
Intelligent and well-traveled, Hugh wins over Lucy with his respectful attitude
towards her homeland. He delights Lucy sexually, but she denies loving him and
has no qualms about their parting.
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The Nurse
A friend of Lucy’s mother. Poor and unloved, the nurse evokes Lucy’s
fears about compromising herself in an occupation that her mother encourages but
that Lucy believes falls short of her potential.
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Paul
Peggy’s coworker and Lucy’s lover. Though Peggy deems him a pervert,
Paul charms Lucy with his bright eyes and artistic sensibilities. He and Lucy
embark on an intensely sexual relationship, which drives a wedge between Lucy
and Peggy. He feels more strongly about Lucy than she does about him, and she
tires of his constant presence at her new apartment.
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Roland
A camera salesman with whom Lucy has a fling. Though she quickly
jumps into his bed, Roland means little to Lucy. Her romp with him also displays
her lack of feeling for Paul.
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Maude Quick
The woman from Lucy’s homeland who brings Lucy news of her father’s
death. Though Maude strikes Lucy’s mother as a model of proper behavior, Maude
serves as a bit of a foil for Lucy, who finds her sadistic and an inspiration,
by negative example, to leave her mother’s home by age nineteen. Despite Maude’s
unpleasantness, she provides Lucy some comfort when bringing news of Lucy’s
father’s death, evoking Lucy’s violently mixed feelings about her native
land.
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Myrna
Lucy’s childhood friend. Abnormally small, Myrna gladly takes money
from a local fisherman, Mr. Thomas, to let him molest her, a revelation that
provokes sexual jealousy in Lucy. Though Lucy desperately wants to know how
Myrna’s encounters with Mr. Thomas felt, she is too inhibited by social
convention to ask.
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Mr. Thomas
A fisherman from Lucy’s island who dies at sea. Mr. Thomas always
behaved like a gentleman around Lucy, who wishes he had molested
her instead of Myrna. Years later, Paul’s hands cause Lucy to remember Mr.
Thomas, whose hands, forever lost to her, represent the height of sexual
mystery.
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Mr. Simon
A photographer and Lucy’s employer. Mr. Simon is the first person
Lucy has met who has compromised his art for money. He lets her use his
darkroom, facilitating her artistic development.
