# Mrs. Smith — Persuasion character guide

> Mrs. Smith in Persuasion by Jane Austen.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** A Mrs. Smith, Dear Smith

**First appearance:** 0016-xvii

## Snapshot

A sharp-witted widow in reduced circumstances, she reads Anne's heart faster than Anne would like and isn't shy about asking a favor.

## Who they are

Once Anne's lively schoolmate, Mrs. Smith now receives visitors in a modest Bath lodging, her cheerfulness edged with the habits of a woman who has learned to make interest go far. Her penetrating guess about Anne's feelings — and her eagerness to have Anne speak of her to Mr. Elliot — reveal an old intimacy turned practical. She matters because she sees through Bath's polite fictions, giving Anne a confidante whose needs and candor unsettle the easy surface of the marriage market.

## In the story

### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/persuasion_se/chapters/xvii)

Former Miss Hamilton, now a poor, crippled widow living in humble lodgings in Bath; displays remarkable resilience and cheerfulness.

### [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/persuasion_se/chapters/xix)

Good-humoredly releases Anne from their evening plan, but hints at a foreboding about future visits.

### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/persuasion_se/chapters/xxi)

Receives Anne, reveals Mr. Elliot's selfish and unfeeling conduct, and shares her own financial distress.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/persuasion_se/characters/mrs_smith
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/persuasion_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/persuasion_se/characters