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Heartbreak House · Character

Ellie Dunn

A poor but clear-eyed young woman who agrees to marry a man she doesn't love, then calmly rewrites everyone's romantic arithmetic.

major

Also known as Ellie, Miss Ellie, Ellie Dunn, Ellie Dropping, Ellie Almost, Ellie Protesting, Ellie Groaning, Ellie Hesione, Ellie Nobody, Ellie Rising, Ellie Flushing, Ellie Musically, Ellie Quite, Ellie Certainly, Ellie Shakespeare, Ellie Othello

First appearance: heartbreak house

As a major figure in Heartbreak House, Ellie Dunn is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

See Ellie Dunn in heartbreak houseBook page

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Ellie arrives at Heartbreak House as Boss Mangan's fiancée, a transaction she defends with unnerving composure: 'a woman's business is marriage.' She is in love with Hector Hushabye, a fact she shares with his wife, and…

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

See Ellie Dunn in heartbreak house

Character Web

12 connections

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

HHHesione HushabyeNGNurse GuinnessMDMazzini DunnCSCaptain ShotoverHHHector HushabyeEDEllie Dunn

Relationship types

  • Psychological
  • Professional
  • Family
  • Romantic

Character groups

  • Heartbreak House Inhabitants
  • Protagonist

+7 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when Shaw violently contracts the narrative from the vast European…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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

See Ellie Dunn in heartbreak house
See Ellie Dunn in heartbreak house