# Bess — Gullible’s Travels character guide

> Bess in Gullible’s Travels by Ring Lardner.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Bess

**First appearance:** 0001-gullible-s-travels

## Snapshot

A woman in the narrator's circle whose presence and opinions keep the social stakes of his travels personal and pointed.

## Who they are

She moves through the narrator's world of card games and outings, one of the women whose judgments and preferences shape where the group goes and how the narrator behaves. The narrator's habit of measuring himself against the women around him—his Missus, Mrs. Hatch, and figures like Bess—drives much of the book's comedy of self-consciousness. She matters as part of the texture of his social life, a reminder that his travels are never solo and his blunders always have witnesses.

## Relationships

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_romantic_

Bess is the narrator's love interest, with a warm and affectionate bond that he cherishes.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_romantic_

Bess is the narrator's love interest, with a warm and affectionate bond that he cherishes.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_romantic_

Bess is the narrator's love interest, with a warm and affectionate bond that he cherishes.

## In the story

### [Gullible's Travels](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/gullible-s-travels)

A friend who accompanies the narrator and the Missus on the trip to Palm Beach, sharing in their collective misery.

### [Three Kings and a Pair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/three-kings-and-a-pair)

The narrator's sister-in-law who arrives unexpectedly and is being encouraged to pursue Bishop.

### [The Water Cure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/the-water-cure)

Bess is visiting and is romantically interested in Elmer Bishop, despite the narrator's doubts about Bishop's character and finances.

### [Three Without, Doubled](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/three-without-doubled)

A companion whose presence contributes to the dynamic of being 'three without, doubled.'

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/bess
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters