# Edith Gale — His Family character guide > Edith Gale in His Family by Ernest Poole. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Edith, XIX Edith **First appearance:** 0001-his-family ## Snapshot Roger's second daughter, back in her childhood home and heavy with child, finds her sister's new ideas an insult and her own nerves worn raw. ## Who they are Edith has returned to the old house with her children and a pregnancy that leaves her feverish, planning every hour of the baby's arrival and unable to loosen her grip on any of it. She and Deborah grate against each other — Edith sets herself like an angry old hen against all her sister's new notions, and Deborah's pity stings worse than criticism. Her husband Bruce is her anchor, but his business and her own anxious intensity leave her isolated in a house full of people. ## Relationships ### [Roger Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/roger_gale) _family_ Edith is Roger's younger sister, with a close but sometimes contentious bond as she seeks independence from his oversight. ### [Deborah Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/deborah_gale) _family_ Deborah and Edith are sisters with a complex dynamic of love, rivalry, and differing views on family duty. ### [Father Abraham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/father_abraham) _family_ Edith is Father Abraham's daughter, and their relationship is strained by her modern, rebellious attitudes clashing with his traditional values. ### [Bruce Cunningham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/bruce_cunningham) _romantic_ Bruce is romantically involved with Edith, creating tension with her family due to his questionable reputation. ### [Laura Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/laura_gale) _family_ Edith and Laura are sisters with a warm but sometimes distant relationship, as Edith's independence contrasts with Laura's innocence. ### [Roger Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/roger_gale) _family_ Edith is Roger's younger sister, with a close but sometimes contentious bond as she seeks independence from his oversight. ### [Deborah Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/deborah_gale) _family_ Deborah and Edith are sisters with a complex dynamic of love, rivalry, and differing views on family duty. ### [Deborah Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/deborah_gale) _family_ Deborah and Edith are sisters with a complex dynamic of love, rivalry, and differing views on family duty. ### [Father Abraham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/father_abraham) _family_ Edith is Father Abraham's daughter, and their relationship is strained by her modern, rebellious attitudes clashing with his traditional values. ### [Roger Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/roger_gale) _family_ Edith is Roger's younger sister, with a close but sometimes contentious bond as she seeks independence from his oversight. ### [Bruce Cunningham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/bruce_cunningham) _romantic_ Bruce is romantically involved with Edith, creating tension with her family due to his questionable reputation. ### [Laura Gale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/laura_gale) _family_ Edith and Laura are sisters with a warm but sometimes distant relationship, as Edith's independence contrasts with Laura's innocence. ## In the story ### [His Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/his-family) Rejoices at Deborah's engagement. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/i) Roger's eldest daughter, a married woman with four children and another on the way, who plays chess with her father and treats him with gentle condescension. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as approaching confinement and anxious about her family; visited earlier but missed Deborah. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/iv) Hosts Roger and Deborah for supper; rejoices at Laura's engagement but worries about Deborah's ability to manage the household. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/vi) Anxiously awaiting the birth of her baby; her children are at the Gale house; she is absorbed in motherhood, mirroring her father's own tendencies. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/vii) Recovering from childbirth, criticizes Laura's modern ideas and warns Roger about Deborah's influence. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/viii) Visited by Roger after childbirth; she suggests he settle Laura's bills and lies still making plans for her children. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xiii) Visits Deborah and urges her to rest and marry; uses Baird's remark to pressure her sister. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xiv) Prepares coffee for the travelers, greets them at the farmhouse, described as blooming with health. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xvi) Disapproves of Laura's lifestyle and Deborah's publicity, stops visiting for three weeks, then reconciles and leads efforts to arrange Deborah's marriage. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xviii) Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but her earlier rejoicing at Deborah's engagement is implicitly part of the household's atmosphere. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xix) Radiant at Deborah's engagement; discusses wedding plans and Deborah's age and school; resolves with Bruce to be closer to Deborah and Allan. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xx) Bruce's wife, who is with him as he dies and comes to understand the situation. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxi) Newly widowed, Edith is pale and bitter but composed; she agrees to move to the mountains with her children and accepts Madge Deering's support. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxii) Departs with the children for the mountains, accompanied by Madge Deering; her furniture is stored or returned to the family home. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxiii) Grieving Bruce's death, she plans her children's lives rigidly and resists Deborah's visit, showing a hard and jealous side. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxiv) Briefly appears, alarmed by the war news but quickly distracted by her children. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxvi) Struggles with the new reality of poverty after Bruce's death, taking on all household and childcare duties herself. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxvii) Edith is withdrawn and hurt, feeling outdated and defensive against Deborah's new ideas; she has let Hannah go to save money. ### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxviii) Mends clothes, sings a lullaby to Tad, and confronts Roger about John's tuberculosis, insisting he must leave. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxix) Expressed concern about John's health; Deborah criticizes her 'blind motherhood.' ### [A Season of Quiet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxx) Manages the household, prepares for Christmas, and appreciates her father's companionship and reading. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxxi) Edith is present in the household, disapproving of Laura's behavior and attempting to shield her children from the family drama. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxxii) Edith is tactful and supportive during dinner, smoothing over the tension. She is later hurt when Deborah asks to speak privately with Roger. ### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxxiii) Confronts Laura about the divorce, argues with Roger, and is horrified that Laura remains in the house with her children. ### [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxxiv) Resists Deborah's suggestions, insisting on maintaining her children's standards; later reconciles partially with Roger over chess. ### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxxv) Nurses her sick children tirelessly, calls Doctor Lake for Bruce's pneumonia, and resents Deborah's interference. ### [Chapter XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxxvii) Edith prepares for the move to the farm with her children and reconciles with Deborah. ### [XXXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xxxviii) Sits by the window, showing signs of age and quiet resolve; has left New York for a simpler life in the old family house. ### [Chapter XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xliii) Edith visits Roger, but he sees pity in her face and feels she does not heed his warning about aging. He has a disturbing vision of a woman in a graveyard. ### [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/chapters/xliv) Seen with children, her anxious eyes turning to Roger in a moment of need. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters/edith_gale - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_family_se/characters