# Dallas O'Mara — So Big character guide

> Dallas O'Mara in So Big by Edna Ferber.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Miss O'Mara, Miss Dallas O'Mara

**First appearance:** 0008-ix

## Snapshot

A commercial artist who came up from sketching hats at twenty-five cents apiece, she has Selina's clear eyes and none of Dirk's comfortable evasions.

## Who they are

Dallas arrives in Dirk's office as a successful illustrator who still thinks nine dollars is a lot of money, and she unsettles him precisely because she sees life from the same angle his mother does. Her slow wide smile and unhurried honesty expose the hollowness of his tailored Chicago existence without ever lecturing him. She matters because she is the test the novel sets for Dirk: whether he can recognize a woman of real substance when she is standing in front of him, or whether he will keep choosing the correct and the easy.

## In the story

### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xviii)

Dallas is a talented commercial artist from Texas, known for her distinctive style. She is composed, independent, and commands a high fee for her work, impressing Dirk with her quiet confidence.

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

Critiques North Shore society as 'professional amateurs' and tells Dirk she prefers men with 'scars' and struggle, rejecting his smooth success.

### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xx)

Hosts General Goguet and Roelf Pool in her studio, then joins the excursion to Selina's farm.

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

Admires Selina's beauty and wants to paint her portrait; plans to leave for Paris to study.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/dallas_omara
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters