Ellen Thatcher

George Baldwin

A complex, on-and-off romantic and professional entanglement where George is persistently infatuated with Ellen, who remains ambivalent and uses him for advancement.

Stan Emery

A passionate but destructive love affair marked by alcoholism, emotional volatility, and eventual tragedy.

Jimmy Herf

Childhood friends who drift apart as adults, with Ellen pursuing social success while Jimmy seeks meaning, creating a bittersweet, nostalgic bond.

Cassandra Wilkins

Fellow social climbers and acquaintances in the New York theater and nightlife scene, sharing a competitive friendship.

Ed Thatcher

Father and daughter with a strained relationship, as Ed's traditional values clash with Ellen's ambitious independence.

Harry Goldweiser

A theatrical producer who helps Ellen's career, but their relationship is transactional and exploitative.

Gus McNiel

A brief, passionate affair that ends when Gus is arrested, highlighting Ellen's pattern of seeking excitement through dangerous men.

George Baldwin

A complex, on-and-off romantic and professional entanglement where George is persistently infatuated with Ellen, who remains ambivalent and uses him for advancement.

George Baldwin

A complex, on-and-off romantic and professional entanglement where George is persistently infatuated with Ellen, who remains ambivalent and uses him for advancement.

Stan Emery

A passionate but destructive love affair marked by alcoholism, emotional volatility, and eventual tragedy.

Jimmy Herf

Childhood friends who drift apart as adults, with Ellen pursuing social success while Jimmy seeks meaning, creating a bittersweet, nostalgic bond.

Stan Emery

A passionate but destructive love affair marked by alcoholism, emotional volatility, and eventual tragedy.

Section I

Introduced as a young woman navigating the social and professional currents of the city.

I: Ferryslip

Born in this chapter, named after her grandmother, mentioned as a newborn in the hospital.

II: Metropolis

Appears briefly as a child, wanting to be a little boy, and is described with coppery curls.

III: Dollars

Asks her father why they aren't rich, expresses fear of a stranger, and wonders about talking to people on the street.

Section II

Continues her complex social and romantic entanglements.

I: Great Lady on a White Horse

Now Elaine Oglethorpe; an actress meeting with George Baldwin and later Stan Emery.

II: Longlegged Jack of the Isthmus

Returns to her boarding house after a night out, feeling a mix of elation and disgust.

III: Nine Days' Wonder

Visits her father Ed in Passaic, brings him roses, and announces her plan to divorce Jojo with George Baldwin's help.

IV: Fire Engine

Feels trapped by Harry Goldweiser's advances and later expresses frustration with the artificiality of her acting role.

V: Went to the Animals’ Fair

Dines with Baldwin, later visits the murder cottage with Herf, and reflects on the war news.

VI: Five Statutory Questions

Dines and dances with Harry Goldweiser, is shocked by Stan Emery's sudden marriage, and receives a marriage proposal from Goldweiser.

VIII: One More River to Jordan

Pregnant with Stan's child, she feels trapped and disillusioned, seeking connection with Jimmy Herf.

Section III

Ellen Thatcher continues to navigate her relationships and societal expectations, embodying the tension between personal desire and social convention.

II: Nickelodeon

Ellen, now married to Jimmy, is distant and reserved during dinner, having taken a job to support them, which Jimmy resents.

III: Revolving Doors

Discusses moving to separate rooms with Jimmy, and later receives his drunken late-night visit.

V: The Burden of Nineveh

Rides in a taxi after work, exhausted and tense, late for an appointment; her divorce and engagement to Baldwin are mentioned.