The Main Character

The main character of the story is Mamzelle Aurelie her direct characterization is provided at the very beginning: “Mamzelle Aurelie possessed a good strong figure, ruddy cheeks, hair that was changing from brown to gray, and a determined eye. She wore a man's hat about the farm, and an old blue army overcoat when it was cold, and sometimes top boots.” Judging by such appearance, she is rather manlike and brutal. The narrator presents her as a lonely woman, who at the very beginning of the story doesn't quite realize it. She never regrets not being married and it seems to her like the company of dog and plantation workers is enough. But her plain world is torn apart by sudden realization of losing a possibility to become a mother.