# Mrs. Spear — Hudson River Bracketed character guide

> Mrs. Spear in Hudson River Bracketed by Edith Wharton.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mrs. Spear of genius

**First appearance:** 0006-iii

## Snapshot

Halo's mother, a woman of self-styled genius whose enthusiasms and spiritual fads draw Vance into a milieu of seekers hungry for the next sensation.

## Who they are

Mrs. Spear presides over a household of artistic and spiritual experimentation, her hobbies and passions reported to Vance with humorous exasperation by Halo. She belongs to the same world of 'Seekers' that Vance comes to despise for dragging his grandmother out of Euphoria and into a city that only wants new catchwords to batten on. Her pretensions to genius and her appetite for novelty make her a foil to Mrs. Scrimser's plain sincerity, and her circle becomes the arena in which Vance must decide what kind of artist, and what kind of man, he intends to be.

## In the story

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se/chapters/vii)

Anxiously calculating finances and yearning for a New York house; calls after Halo about Lewis Tarrant.

### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se/chapters/x)

Distressed about the missing motor and worried about money; tries to manage the social situation.

### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se/chapters/xxix)

Halo's mother, who is easily reassured by Halo's explanations and speculates about Halo having 'hopes' again.

### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se/chapters/xxxvii)

Hosts the 'Seekers' meeting and reveals her connection to Mrs. Scrimser.

### [XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se/chapters/xl)

Briefly appears in Halo's memory, asking about Lewis and Jet Pulsifer.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se/characters/mrs_spear
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hudson_river_bracketed_se/characters