# Mrs. Hatch — Gullible’s Travels character guide

> Mrs. Hatch in Gullible’s Travels by Ring Lardner.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Hatch, Mrs. Hatch

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

## Snapshot

A sharp-eyed card partner who wins the narrator's money, then engineers a night at the opera, steering the group with quiet, unbothered authority.

## Who they are

She wins at rummy and, when the narrator grouses, proposes turning the winnings into four show tickets—a gesture that's part generosity, part social maneuvering. She knows exactly how far she can push and reads the Missus's signals better than the men do, eventually steering the party toward grand opera over the narrator's objections. She matters because she embodies the social intelligence the narrator lacks, quietly running the evening while he thinks he's running his mouth.

## Relationships

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

_psychological_

Mrs. Hatch dominates and manipulates the narrator, using him as a pawn in her schemes and emotional games.

### [Joe Tuttle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/joe_tuttle)

_rivalry_

Joe Tuttle and Mrs. Hatch are often at odds, with Joe resisting her manipulations and schemes.

### [Jim Hatch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/jim_hatch)

_family_

Jim and Mrs. Hatch are married, but their relationship is strained and full of conflict.

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

_psychological_

Mrs. Hatch dominates and manipulates the narrator, using him as a pawn in her schemes and emotional games.

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

_psychological_

Mrs. Hatch dominates and manipulates the narrator, using him as a pawn in her schemes and emotional games.

### [Joe Tuttle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/joe_tuttle)

_rivalry_

Joe Tuttle and Mrs. Hatch are often at odds, with Joe resisting her manipulations and schemes.

### [Joe Tuttle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/characters/joe_tuttle)

_rivalry_

Joe Tuttle and Mrs. Hatch are often at odds, with Joe resisting her manipulations and schemes.

## In the story

### [Carmen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/carmen)

Mrs. Hatch suggests using the rummy winnings to buy opera tickets. She is enthusiastic about the opera and engages in detailed discussion about the performance afterward.

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

A friend who accompanies the narrator and his wife on the trip to Palm Beach, contributing to the social dynamics and the decision to leave.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/i)

Calls to invite the narrator and his wife to a rummy game, but they decline because they are going away.

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

The narrator's wife is supportive of Bess and Bishop's relationship and defends Bishop's honesty, much to the narrator's frustration.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/ii)

Mrs. Hatch is mentioned as a friend who taught the wife bridge and is later asked to give lessons.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/iv)

Proudly describes her bridge club, the San Susie, and her recent prize.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/i)

A conservative poker player who rarely loses, admired by the narrator for her restraint.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/iv)

A player who frequently forgets to ante, leading to comments from the narrator.

## Links

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