# Downie — Short Fiction character guide

> Downie in Short Fiction by Selma Lagerlöf.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Sweet little Downie, little Downie, Miss Downie

**First appearance:** 0018-downie

## Snapshot

A city-raised girl who discovers, on her uncle's farm, that she is a country lass at heart—and that being laughed at is not the same as being unloved.

## Who they are

Downie arrives at her uncle Theodore's estate expecting to be judged, and finds instead a man who seems to know all her faults and likes her anyway. She whirls across the lawn, lets a calf lick her finger, and tours the barns with a switch in her hand, brave and ridiculous at once. Her tears over her brother's partisan politics give way to something freer: the story's early arc turns on whether this half-wild belonging can survive the world she came from.

## Relationships

### [Uncle Theodore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/characters/uncle_theodore)

_friendship_

Downie is a loyal friend and companion to Uncle Theodore, often assisting him in his endeavors.

### [Uncle Theodore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/characters/uncle_theodore)

_friendship_

Downie is a loyal friend and companion to Uncle Theodore, often assisting him in his endeavors.

### [Uncle Theodore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/characters/uncle_theodore)

_friendship_

Downie is a loyal friend and companion to Uncle Theodore, often assisting him in his endeavors.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/ii)

Edith Halfvorson, terrified by the arrival of Petter Nord and his companions, flees up the mountain and suffers a fatal hemorrhage.

### [A Fallen King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/a-fallen-king)

Mentioned as the shoemaker's young wife, trembling with fear and guilt over her husband's departure.

### [Downie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/downie)

The central character of the chapter, a small girl with a unique perspective on the world, who has a terrifying vision during breakfast.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/i)

The protagonist, a sweet and anxious young woman traveling to meet her betrothed's wealthy uncle. She is deeply in love with Maurits but feels the weight of the journey's purpose.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/i)

Also referred to as Anne-Marie, the baker's daughter. She is described as insignificant but sweet, and she prays and worries about the journey.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/ii)

Explores the estate, feels a connection to the country, and reflects on her feelings for Maurits and Uncle Theodore.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/iii)

The young woman Uncle Theodore is obsessed with; he imagines her weeping and feels guilt over his plans.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/iv)

Reveals the deceitful plan and courageously opposes Maurits's attempt to sell worthless shares.

### [Why the Pope Lived to Be So Old](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/chapters/why-the-pope-lived-to-be-so-old)

A nurse who tearfully recounts her hope of seeing the Pope again after a leper hospital mission.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/characters/downie
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_50_se/characters