# Mrs. Jethway — A Pair of Blue Eyes character guide

> Mrs. Jethway in A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** poor Mrs. Jethway, the assumed Mrs. Jethway, Dear Mrs. Jethway, the dead Mrs. Jethway

**First appearance:** 0005-ii

## Snapshot

A grieving widow whose dead son haunts Elfride's conscience, she drifts through Endelstow like a reproach no one can quite answer.

## Who they are

Mrs. Jethway belongs to the parish's poorer ranks, a woman whose loss has stripped her of ordinary social defenses and left her fixated on the young lady she holds responsible. Her grief curdles into a quiet, watchful grievance aimed squarely at Elfride, making every chance meeting heavy with unspoken accusation. She matters because she introduces guilt and class resentment into Elfride's sheltered world, hinting that the heroine's romantic choices carry consequences reaching well beyond her own heart.

## In the story

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xix)

Appears in the west gallery during the service, staring bitterly at Elfride, which adds to Elfride's emotional turmoil.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxv)

Confronts Stephen in the churchyard, cursing Elfride for her son's death and her faithlessness.

### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxviii)

Confronts Elfride in the shrubbery, accusing her and defying her to tell Knight the truth; she is described as a slanderous woman with a half-overturned reason.

### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxix)

Appears as a threatening figure on the ship, whispering to Elfride and deepening her fear.

### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxxiii)

Found dead under the fallen tower; her body is carried home by Knight and Lord Luxellian; evidence shows she had been writing a warning letter.

### [Chapter XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxxiv)

Posthumously delivers a letter to Knight revealing Elfride's secret past, seeking vengeance for her son Felix's death.

### [XXXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/xxxviii)

Mentioned as the village woman who recognized Stephen and Elfride during their aborted elopement.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters/poor_mrs_jethway
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/characters