Pollyanna · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Pollyanna Whittier
major
Also known as Miss Pollyanna Whittier, Pollyanna, Miss Pollyanna, Pollyanna Whittier
Pollyanna enters Beldingsville as a charity case, outfitted by missionary barrels and handed off to an aunt who took her in from duty, not love. Her father taught her to hunt for gladness in every hardship, and she practices it relentlessly on servants, shut-ins, and strangers, often without realizing she is doing it. That habit collides with Aunt Polly's rigid household and slowly reorganizes the whole town's emotional weather, making Pollyanna both an irritant and an instrument of change in the novel's first half.
Aunt Polly Harrington
major
Also known as Miss Polly Harrington, Miss Polly, Polly, Aunt Polly, Miss Harrington, Polly Harrington
Miss Polly Harrington runs her household on schedule and self-control, granting her niece a room and a wardrobe but withholding warmth. Her stiffness masks old wounds, particularly around Dr. Chilton and the sister who married and left her behind. When Pollyanna begins softening the house, the cat, and even Miss Polly's own habits, the aunt must decide whether affection is a weakness or the thing she has been missing, which drives the emotional current of the middle chapters.
Nancy
supporting
Also known as Nancy
Nancy works below stairs for a mistress she finds chilly and exacting, and she misses her mother and siblings with an ache she talks about freely. She is the first person in the house to treat Pollyanna as a person rather than a duty, trading stories on the back porch and nearly betraying Miss Polly's early reluctance. Her loyalty gives Pollyanna a confidante and gives readers a grounded, unpolished view of what the child is actually changing inside that house.
John Pendleton
supporting
Also known as Mr. John Pendleton, Mr. Pendleton, John Pendleton, Pendleton
John Pendleton is the town's richest and least sociable man, known for miserliness and a tongue sharp enough to keep visitors away. He once loved Pollyanna's mother, lost her to another man, and has been nursing the disappointment ever since, which makes his growing attachment to the child both tender and dangerous. His reluctant friendship with Pollyanna pulls him back into the world and sets up the question of what he will do with the affection he can no longer pretend not to feel.
Jimmy Bean
supporting
Also known as Jimmy
Jimmy Bean has no home, no parents, and a habit of announcing to anyone who will listen that he is looking for a place to belong. He meets Pollyanna on the road and becomes her project, a boy whose need for a family mirrors her own situation with Aunt Polly. His persistence and good nature make him the natural counterpart to the town's lonely adults, and his fate becomes one of the measures by which the story tests whether Pollyanna's gladness can actually change anything.
Dr. Thomas Chilton
supporting
Also known as Dr. Chilton, Thomas Chilton, XV Dr. Chilton
Dr. Chilton is a broad-shouldered, gentle-mannered doctor who lives in rented rooms rather than a home, a fact Pollyanna seizes on and questions him about. He and Aunt Polly share a past that neither will discuss, and Miss Polly's sharpness at the mention of his name signals old hurt rather than indifference. His care for Pollyanna, and his willingness to be called when Miss Polly finally asks, positions him as the story's quiet hinge between the aunt's guarded present and the possibility of a warmer future.
Mrs. Snow
supporting
Also known as Mrs. Snow, Mis' Snow
Mrs. Snow belongs to the small circle of shut-ins Pollyanna is sent to cheer, a woman whose invalid's routine has hardened into complaint and whose sharpness tests even her caretakers' patience. Her resistance to Pollyanna's cheerfulness is not cruelty so much as habit: she has learned to measure life by what she has lost. When she begins knitting with bright worsteds and counting her two good teeth as a reason for gladness, she becomes the story's clearest proof that the game can take root in the most unlikely ground.
Old Tom
minor
Also known as Tom, II Old Tom
The elderly gardener at the Harrington estate who welcomes Pollyanna.
Timothy Durgin
minor
Also known as Timothy
A young man who works for John Pendleton and helps with errands.
Milly Snow
minor
Also known as Milly
Mrs. Snow's daughter who cares for her mother.
Rev. Paul Ford
minor
Also known as The Rev. Paul Ford, Paul Ford, Mr. Ford
The local minister who interacts with Pollyanna and the community.
Dr. Warren
minor
Also known as Dr. Warren, Warren
A specialist called in to consult on Pollyanna's condition after her accident.
Miss Hunt
minor
Also known as Miss Hunt
A member of the Ladies' Aid Society.
Jennie
minor
Also known as Miss Jennie
Pollyanna's deceased mother, mentioned in memories.
Lady Maud
minor
Also known as Black Tilly
A mysterious woman mentioned in Pendleton's past.
Mrs. White
minor
Also known as Mrs. White
A member of the Ladies' Aid Society.
Mrs. Tarbell
minor
Also known as Mrs. Tarbell
A neighbor who participates in town activities.
Mrs. Tom Payson
minor
Also known as Mrs. Payson
A townswoman mentioned in passing.
Mrs. Benton
minor
Also known as Mrs. Benton
A woman who helps with charitable work in town.
Sally Miner
minor
Also known as Sarah
A girl from the Ladies' Aid Society.
Nellie Higgins
minor
Also known as Nora
A young woman mentioned in town gossip.
Mrs. Ford
minor
Also known as Mrs. Ford
The minister's wife.
Mrs. Rawson
minor
Also known as Mrs. Rawson
A member of the Ladies' Aid Society.
Mr. White
minor
Also known as Mr. White
Husband of Mrs. White, briefly mentioned.
