Ghosts · Character

Johanna

Deceased maid who had an affair with Captain Alving and bore Regina.

minor

Also known as poor Johanna

First appearance: act i

Johanna's tie to Pastor Manders is one of the pressures that moves Ghosts—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

See Johanna in act i Book page

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With Pastor Manders (professional): Johanna was a maid in the Alving household who had a brief affair with Pastor Manders, leading to her dismissal and later marriage to Jacob Engstrand. With Mrs. Alving (professional): Johanna was Mrs. Alving's maid, and their relationship was strained by the secret that Johanna's daughter Regina was fathered by Captain Alving. With Regina Engstrand (family): Johanna is Regina's biological mother, but she was forced to give her up and marry Jacob Engstrand to cover up the affair with Captain Alving.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Johanna sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Johanna in act i

Character Web

4 connections

A slice of how Johanna sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Family

Character groups

Alving family secrets
Protagonist
Peripheral Characters

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point

This scene is the dramatic climax because it reveals the full, catastrophic culmination of the Alving family’s…

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Relationships

Pastor Manders
professional · negative
Johanna was a maid in the Alving household who had a brief affair with Pastor Manders,… How this plays out →
Mrs. Alving
professional · ambivalent
Regina Engstrand
family · negative
Jacob Engstrand
family · negative

Pastor Manders
Johanna was a maid in the Alving household who had a brief affair with Pastor Manders, leading to her dismissal and later marriage to Jacob Engstrand.
Mrs. Alving
Johanna was Mrs. Alving's maid, and their relationship was strained by the secret that Johanna's daughter Regina was fathered by Captain Alving.
Regina Engstrand
Johanna is Regina's biological mother, but she was forced to give her up and marry Jacob Engstrand to cover up the affair with Captain Alving.
Jacob Engstrand
Jacob Engstrand married Johanna for a financial settlement, and their relationship was one of convenience and mutual resentment.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Johanna in act i