# Enid Royce — One of Ours character guide > Enid Royce in One of Ours by Willa Cather. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Enid, Miss Enid, Caroline Royce **First appearance:** 0004-i ## Snapshot A vegetarian, missionary-minded young woman whose cool competence and religious fervor make her both admirable and unreachable to the man who loves her. ## Who they are Enid is the daughter of a grizzled mill owner who thinks she has more brains than a girl needs and would rather see her run a business than a household. She is good, disciplined, and slightly elsewhere — her father warns Claude that her missionary motives may not leave room for a husband. Claude's courtship of her becomes a test of whether his hunger for meaning can be answered by a woman whose meaning is already spoken for. ## Relationships ### [Claude Wheeler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/claude_wheeler) _romantic_ Claude is infatuated with Enid and marries her, but their relationship is strained by her religious fanaticism and emotional coldness. ### [Claude Wheeler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/claude_wheeler) _romantic_ Claude is infatuated with Enid and marries her, but their relationship is strained by her religious fanaticism and emotional coldness. ### [Claude Wheeler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/claude_wheeler) _romantic_ Claude is infatuated with Enid and marries her, but their relationship is strained by her religious fanaticism and emotional coldness. ## In the story ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xix) Accompanies Claude on the sleigh ride; suggests stopping for Gladys; tries to keep the conversation light and mediate tensions. ### [Book II: Enid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/book-ii-enid) Enid is portrayed as pious and reserved, more devoted to her religious mission than to her husband, leading to a strained marriage. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/ii) Enid discusses her desire to go to China as a missionary and her concern about Claude's freethinking. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/iii) Goes shopping in Hastings, consults Brother Weldon about her missionary calling, and insists on driving through the storm. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/iv) Visits Claude during his illness, brings sweet peas, plays chess, and shows a calm, caring demeanor. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/v) Enid is discussed as the object of Claude's proposal; Mr. Royce mentions her vegetarianism and missionary motives. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/vi) Declines Claude's marriage proposal, citing her own plans. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/vii) Claude visits her at the mill in the evenings; she dislikes the smell of harvest men. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/ix) Away at a Michigan sanatorium with her mother until October, not present in the chapter. ### [Building the House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/x) Enid is practical and focused on the house, showing pride in its details but little warmth toward Claude. She insists the best room be reserved for guests. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xi) Sews on the front porch, shows Claude her embroidery, and agrees to visit the timber claim with him. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xii) The bride; practical and observant on the train, notices Claude's smoking and dust. ### [Book III: Sunrise on the Prairie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/book-iii-sunrise-on-the-prairie) Claude's wife, increasingly devoted to her religious mission and distant from Claude. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/i) Attends an Anti-Saloon League meeting in Frankfort; practices modern poultry methods (keeping only one rooster); criticized by Leonard for neglect and fanaticism. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/ii) Claude's wife calls him 'Clod' and checks on him on the porch, but he pretends to be asleep. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/iii) Manages the house efficiently, wears white, is devoted to the Prohibition campaign, but is repulsed by physical and emotional intimacy. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/iv) Claude's wife; Mrs. Wheeler telephones her to ask if Claude can come to dinner; Enid responds cheerfully. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/v) Decides to go to China to care for her sister Carrie; remains firm in her decision despite Claude's objections; leaves before Christmas. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/vi) Absent; has left for a mission in China; Mahailey tracks her journey and worries about gossip; her cooking is mentioned defensively by Mahailey. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/enid_royce - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters