# Alice Dugdale — Short Fiction character guide

> Alice Dugdale in Short Fiction by Anthony Trollope.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Alice

**First appearance:** 0094-alice-dugdale

## Snapshot

The doctor's daughter who pushes a perambulator through Beetham, loved by a rising Major who fears she is too plain for his grand London future.

## Who they are

Alice is the capable, unglamorous centre of her household, giving out soap and sugar and minding other people's children while quietly loving Major Rossiter. The tension is cruel and simple: he loves her but is ashamed of the fitness of things, and his mother keeps steering him toward the polished Miss Wanless. Alice's patient dignity makes the reader ache for her and dread the choice he will make.

## Relationships

### [John Rossiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/john_rossiter)

_romantic_

Alice Dugdale and John Rossiter are involved in a quiet, earnest romantic relationship with underlying social tensions.

### [John Rossiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/john_rossiter)

_romantic_

Alice Dugdale and John Rossiter are involved in a quiet, earnest romantic relationship with underlying social tensions.

### [John Rossiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/john_rossiter)

_romantic_

Alice Dugdale and John Rossiter are involved in a quiet, earnest romantic relationship with underlying social tensions.

## In the story

### [Alice Dugdale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/alice-dugdale)

The protagonist, a young woman caught between familial duty and personal aspirations.

### [The Doctor's Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/i-the-doctor-s-family)

The protagonist, a resilient young woman who manages her father's household and faces the village's expectations about her marriage to Major Rossiter.

### [Major Rossiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/ii-major-rossiter)

Alice is depicted as domestically engaged, with soiled clothing and needle-marked fingers, yet intellectually superior to Georgiana. She deliberately provokes Rossiter by speaking of 'swells' and feigning jealousy, revealing her insecurity and her desire to test his feelings.

### [Lady Wanless](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/iii-lady-wanless)

Alice is at Beetham and speaks with the Major upon his return. She hides her own feelings and teases him about his apparent courtship of Georgiana.

### [IV: The Beethamites](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/iv-the-beethamites)

Alice is the spurned former prospect, who quietly bears her heartache while continuing her domestic duties and defending the Major's honor.

### [The Invitation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/v-the-invitation)

Alice is seen pushing a perambulator with children, symbolizing her domestic role. Major Rossiter passes her without stopping, highlighting his internal conflict and the social distance between them.

### [After the Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/vii-after-the-party)

Alice hears rumors of the Major's engagement to Georgiana, struggles with her unhappiness, and confronts him about his ambition and discontent, though she resolves to cure her feelings.

### [Sir Walter Up in London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/viii-sir-walter-up-in-london)

Alice hears rumors of the Major's engagement to Georgiana and reflects on her own feelings, finding resolve to overcome her heartache.

### [Lady Deepbell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/ix-lady-deepbell)

Alice learns of the rumor from her father and declares she has healed from her earlier attachment to Rossiter, refusing to be drawn back into his orbit.

### [The Bird That Pecked at the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/x-the-bird-that-pecked-at-the-window)

Resolves to reject John Rossiter after his apparent interest in Georgiana Wanless, but ultimately accepts his love.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/alice_dugdale
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters