One of Ours · Character

Gladys Farmer

A Frankfort schoolteacher who has watched Claude since high school, believing he might be the one generous man who escapes the world Bayliss Wheeler rules.

supporting

Also known as Gladys

First appearance: i

As a supporting figure in One of Ours, Gladys Farmer is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Gladys is the object of Bayliss's courtship; she is a talented musician and old friend of Claude, but her poverty makes her vulnerable to Bayliss's advances.

In the storyXVIOpen this moment free

See Gladys Farmer in XVI Book page

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Gladys teaches the children of dead men and has built a private philosophy from it: everything beautiful—love, leisure, art—is locked up, and successful men like Bayliss hold the keys. She has sacrificed small pleasures, even a trip to the opera, to keep her salary and her standing. Claude is her one hope, the strong boy with the finer strain who might succeed without turning hard; if he marries Enid and goes heavy and broken like Mr. Royce, her whole theory of life collapses.

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The fuller portrait of Gladys Farmer sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Gladys Farmer in i

Character Web

30 connections

A slice of how Gladys Farmer sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Hometown community and family
Farm hands and a quiet soldier
Additional soldiers and war figures
Extended cast of minor characters

+25 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of Claude’s disillus…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Claude Wheeler
romantic · ambivalent
Claude feels a wistful, unfulfilled romantic attraction to the intelligent and artistic… How this plays out →
Bayliss Wheeler
romantic · negative
Claude Wheeler
romantic · ambivalent
Claude feels a wistful, unfulfilled romantic attraction to the intelligent and artistic… How this plays out →
Claude Wheeler
romantic · ambivalent
Claude feels a wistful, unfulfilled romantic attraction to the intelligent and artistic… How this plays out →
Bayliss Wheeler
romantic · negative
Bayliss Wheeler
romantic · negative

Claude Wheeler
Claude feels a wistful, unfulfilled romantic attraction to the intelligent and artistic Gladys, who represents a life he cannot have.
Bayliss Wheeler
Bayliss courts Gladys with a dull, possessive persistence, but she finds him stifling and unappealing.
Claude Wheeler
Claude feels a wistful, unfulfilled romantic attraction to the intelligent and artistic Gladys, who represents a life he cannot have.
Claude Wheeler
Claude feels a wistful, unfulfilled romantic attraction to the intelligent and artistic Gladys, who represents a life he cannot have.
Bayliss Wheeler
Bayliss courts Gladys with a dull, possessive persistence, but she finds him stifling and unappealing.
Bayliss Wheeler
Bayliss courts Gladys with a dull, possessive persistence, but she finds him stifling and unappealing.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Gladys Farmer in i

In the story

Gladys Farmer appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

XVI
Gladys is the object of Bayliss's courtship; she is a talented musician and old friend of Claude, but her poverty makes her vulnerable to Bayliss's advances.
XIX
Joins the sleigh party; shows composure despite Claude's resentment; expresses weariness and a desire to travel.
Book II: Enid
Gladys represents an alternative, more compatible partner for Claude, highlighting the contrast with Enid.
VI
Observes Claude's proposal and reflects on his future and her own constrained life.
Building the House
Gladys visits the new house with Enid and feels a poignant sadness. Claude senses her sensibility and longs to warn her against marrying his brother Bayliss.
XII
Sends flowers for the wedding via Silent Irv; remembered as kind to Irv in school.
Book III: Sunrise on the Prairie
A local woman who represents an alternative path for Claude, symbolizing unfulfilled possibilities.
II
Claude considers Gladys as one of the 'children of the moon' with unappeased longings and a confidant in the moon.
Chapter VII
Meets Claude at the schoolhouse; she is thoughtful and grave about the war, and Claude notes the gossip risk of visiting her.
Homecoming in Uniform
Waves to Claude from a car at the station.
XII
Receives Claude in her parlour, admits she has always admired him, and decides to save her house from taxes.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Gladys Farmer unlock in the free preview.

See Gladys Farmer in i

See Gladys Farmer in XVI