Delia Jones

A washerwoman and the protagonist of the story. Delia takes pride in her work and her home. Though initially reluctant to oppose her husband, Delia becomes stronger by the story’s end.

Read an in-depth analysis of Delia.

Sykes

Delia’s husband. Sykes is a proud but lazy man, generous to the other woman he is courting but cruel and abusive to Delia.

Read an in-depth analysis of Sykes.

Joe Clarke

The proprietor of the store where men gather to talk. 

Jim Merchant

A man on Clarke’s porch, whose wife Sykes once propositioned. 

Joe Lindsay

A man on Clarke’s porch. 

Moss

A man on Clarke’s porch. 

Walter Thomas

A man on Clarke’s porch. 

Elijah Mosle

A man on Clarke’s porch. 

Old Man Anderson

A man on Clarke’s porch. 

Bertha

Sykes’s mistress. 

Della Lewis

The owner of the boarding house where Bertha stays.