# Mrs. Erlich — One of Ours character guide

> Mrs. Erlich in One of Ours by Willa Cather.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0013-x

## Snapshot

The warm German-American mother of Claude's Lincoln friends, who plays Mendelssohn, makes Wiener-Schnitzel, and calls him her 'landed proprietor.'

## Who they are

Her parlor—books, a lamp, a Swiss woodcutter on the mantel, young instructors dropping in—is the one place where Claude feels life is charged with generous enthusiasms and romantic friendships. She welcomes him with excited whispers about her cousin the singer, feeds him lentil soup and dumplings, and treats his Nebraska ranch as a grand estate. Yet her warmth also sharpens his loneliness: the plain farm fare and the long silent evenings seem heavier every time he leaves her house.

## In the story

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/vi)

Warm, perceptive matriarch who takes a special interest in Claude, showing him family portraits and encouraging him to visit often.

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

Hosts the dinner for her cousin, insists on inviting Claude, and escorts him to the concert.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xv)

Hosts Claude during his extended stay in Lincoln, introduces him as her 'landed proprietor,' and shares news about her cousin Wilhelmina.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/ix)

Mentioned by Claude as having spoken favorably of Germany before the war.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xiii)

Mentioned as an old friend who used to talk about the period of happy 'youth'.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/mrs_erlich
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters