# Ethel Corder — Miss Mole character guide > Ethel Corder in Miss Mole by E. H. Young. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Ethel, Miss Ethel **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot Robert Corder's twenty-three-year-old daughter, caught between chapel duty, household drudgery, and a painful, unspoken envy of Miss Mole's easy fascination with Wilfrid. ## Who they are Ethel is a good girl with fits of passion, grateful for Miss Mole's competence yet wounded by Wilfrid's habit of watching the housekeeper instead of her. She pities and envies Hannah by turns, believing forty means desire is over, while her own desires are very much alive and unacknowledged. Her raw, unguarded reactions to Wilfrid's flattery make her the household's most vulnerable barometer of the tensions Hannah has walked into. ## Relationships ### [Miss Hannah Mole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/miss_hannah_mole) _rivalry_ Ethel, the Corders' younger daughter, resents Miss Mole's influence and often clashes with her in a battle of wills. ### [Ruth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/ruth) _family_ Ethel and Ruth are sisters with a strained relationship, marked by Ethel's jealousy and Ruth's quiet resentment. ### [Robert Corder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/robert_corder) _family_ Ethel is Robert Corder's daughter, and she often manipulates her father's vanity to get her way, creating a dynamic of mutual exploitation. ### [Wilfrid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/wilfrid) _family_ Ethel is dismissive and sometimes cruel to her younger brother Wilfrid, showing little sisterly affection. ### [Miss Hannah Mole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/miss_hannah_mole) _rivalry_ Ethel, the Corders' younger daughter, resents Miss Mole's influence and often clashes with her in a battle of wills. ### [Miss Hannah Mole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/miss_hannah_mole) _rivalry_ Ethel, the Corders' younger daughter, resents Miss Mole's influence and often clashes with her in a battle of wills. ### [Ruth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/ruth) _family_ Ethel and Ruth are sisters with a strained relationship, marked by Ethel's jealousy and Ruth's quiet resentment. ### [Ruth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/ruth) _family_ Ethel and Ruth are sisters with a strained relationship, marked by Ethel's jealousy and Ruth's quiet resentment. ### [Robert Corder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/robert_corder) _family_ Ethel is Robert Corder's daughter, and she often manipulates her father's vanity to get her way, creating a dynamic of mutual exploitation. ### [Wilfrid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/wilfrid) _family_ Ethel is dismissive and sometimes cruel to her younger brother Wilfrid, showing little sisterly affection. ### [Wilfrid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/wilfrid) _family_ Ethel is dismissive and sometimes cruel to her younger brother Wilfrid, showing little sisterly affection. ### [Robert Corder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/robert_corder) _family_ Ethel is Robert Corder's daughter, and she often manipulates her father's vanity to get her way, creating a dynamic of mutual exploitation. ## In the story ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as Mr. Corder's daughter who is 'useless' and always at the Mission. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/vii) Nervously goggling when asked about Wilfrid's whereabouts, she hastily claims he had an engagement, showing her anxiety about family appearances. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/viii) Ethel is anxious and jealous, seeking attention and friendship from Hannah but easily upset by Wilfrid's teasing and Ruth's hostility. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/ix) Shows jealousy and distress over Wilfrid's attention to Hannah; reacts by banging things in her room. ### [The Underground Struggles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/x) Ethel is jealous of Wilfrid's attention to Hannah, hurt and puzzled by his flattery. She is anxious about her father's mood and resents Hannah's levity. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xii) Mentioned as a potential source of trouble about the mattress. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xiii) Ethel is mentioned as Ruth's sister, whose unreasonable behavior is part of the imperfection Ruth rebels against. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xiv) Briefly mentioned as divided between religion and mundane desires, with Hannah feeling no one can handle her. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xv) Returns home early from the Girls' Club, feeling miserable and insecure, troubled by Doris's absence and the laughter of the other girls. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xvi) Ethel is distressed, banging drawers and hiding her belongings. Hannah brings her hot milk and tries to soothe her, avoiding looking at her scarred face. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xvii) Ethel is anxious about the supper party and argues with Wilfrid over Hannah's role as hostess. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xix) Ethel is less quarrelsome with Ruth and seems more peaceful and enthusiastic about the club, though Doris has left it for her young man. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xx) Ethel seeks Hannah's advice about Mr. Pilgrim and is excited about his visit to the Girls' Club. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxi) Fidgets with ornaments, admits to telling Patsy about the mattresses, and worries about her father's reaction. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxii) Defended Miss Mole when her father questioned her absence, showing loyalty despite her own nervousness and fits of passion. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxiii) Wears an extra necklace and bright blue frock; is anxious about conversation between her father and Uncle Jim. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxvi) Arrives late and flustered to Christmas dinner; lies about carol singing to avoid her father's questions. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxvii) She fidgets and worries about Howard's lateness, and comments on Hannah's 'quaint old brooch' with a doubtful glance at her own beads. ### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxviii) At the party, being bright with young men and participating in games. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxix) Flushed with excitement and resentment, she is drawn to Mr. Pilgrim and reacts to her father's disapproval. ### [The Escape of Howard Corder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxx) Distressed about what to say to Mrs. Spenser-Smith and others regarding Howard's disappearance. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxi) Mentioned as having surprised admiration for her father's behavior, and as a potential marriage prospect. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxii) Shows gratitude to her father and tries to alter a dress, seeking Hannah's help. ### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxiii) Shocked and jealous by Hannah's kiss; struggles between telling her father and her natural candor; reveals her worry and confusion. ### [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxiv) Quarreled with her father and went to Mr. Pilgrim's chapel; her rebellious behavior is a source of tension. ### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxv) Ethel is briefly referenced as the object of Robert Corder's scolding during the Sunday dinner, and Hannah waits for her return. ### [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxvi) Ethel returns from Highfields Chapel and a visit to Patsy Withers, displaying a stubborn new attitude but ultimately yielding to Hannah's kindness. ### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxvii) Shows uncharacteristic pleasantness and agrees to look after the house; prefers Hannah over Miss Patsy Withers as a stepmother. ### [XXXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxviii) Distressed after Mr. Pilgrim's visit; reveals knowledge of Mr. Blenkinsop and lashes out at Hannah and Ruth. ### [XXXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xxxix) Distraught after visiting Mrs. Spenser-Smith; confronts Hannah about Mr. Pilgrim's accusations; learns Hannah's secret and insists on telling her father. ### [XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xl) Hannah speculates that Ethel will marry Mr. Pilgrim, showing her hopes for the Corder household's future. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters/ethel_corder - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/miss_mole_se/characters