# Charity Royall — Summer character guide > Charity Royall in Summer by Edith Wharton. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Charity, lawyer Royall, Miss Royall, Dear Charity, Miss Charity Royall **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot Raised on charity in a dying hill town, she keeps the library key and her own counsel, hungry for a life larger than North Dormer allows. ## Who they are Charity Royall was brought down from the Mountain as a feverish child and christened to keep alive her sense of dependence; she has spent her life measuring the cold house, the harsh guardian, the small town that calls her by his name. She is proud, watchful, and secretly starved for beauty and escape, and she stays in North Dormer partly out of pity for the lonesome man who raised her. Her restlessness is the engine of the novel: every stranger who arrives, every door that opens, tests whether she can want something for herself. ## Relationships ### [Lucius Harney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/lucius_harney) _romantic_ Charity is passionately in love with Lucius, but he ultimately betrays her by becoming engaged to Annabel Balch. ### [Lawyer Royall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/lawyer_royall) _family_ Lawyer Royall is Charity's guardian and later her husband, a relationship marked by control, resentment, and eventual tragic dependence. ### [Ally Hawes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/ally_hawes) _friendship_ Ally is Charity's close friend and confidante, sharing a bond of mutual support and shared hardship in the small town. ### [Liff Hyatt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/liff_hyatt) _family_ Liff Hyatt is Charity's cousin from the mountain, representing her disreputable origins and the life she tries to escape. ### [Julia Hawes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/julia_hawes) _friendship_ Julia is Ally's sister and Charity's friend, but her secret life as a prostitute creates a strained and tragic dynamic. ### [Old Verena Marsh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/old_verena_marsh) _family_ Old Verena is Charity's grandmother, a symbol of the squalid mountain life Charity was rescued from. ### [Annabel Balch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/annabel_balch) _rivalry_ Annabel is Charity's wealthy, sophisticated rival for Lucius's love, embodying the social class Charity cannot attain. ### [Old Miss Hatchard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/old_miss_hatchard) _social_ Old Miss Hatchard is a wealthy, elderly patron who employs Charity briefly and represents the old New England gentility. ### [Lawyer Royall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/lawyer_royall) _family_ Lawyer Royall is Charity's guardian and later her husband, a relationship marked by control, resentment, and eventual tragic dependence. ### [Lucius Harney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/lucius_harney) _romantic_ Charity is passionately in love with Lucius, but he ultimately betrays her by becoming engaged to Annabel Balch. ### [Lucius Harney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/lucius_harney) _romantic_ Charity is passionately in love with Lucius, but he ultimately betrays her by becoming engaged to Annabel Balch. ### [Lawyer Royall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/lawyer_royall) _family_ Lawyer Royall is Charity's guardian and later her husband, a relationship marked by control, resentment, and eventual tragic dependence. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/i) The protagonist, a young woman living in North Dormer, works at the library and feels trapped by her surroundings. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/i) Charity's guardian, mentioned as the owner of the faded red house at the end of the street. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/ii) Reflects on her past, her decision to stay in North Dormer, and her feelings of power and isolation. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/ii) Charity's guardian; his harshness and loneliness are revealed, as well as a troubling incident. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/iii) Feels betrayed by Lucius Harney after learning he reported the library's condition; decides to resign but is overcome by desolation; later dreams of a glamorous life and harbors hatred for Mr. Royall. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/iii) Confronts Charity about her neglect of the library; his past incident with Charity has changed their relationship, and he now keeps a humbled distance. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/iv) Confronts Harney, defends her work, and expresses her desire to escape North Dormer. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/iv) Referenced as the strongest man in North Dormer and as having lived in Nettleton. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/v) Lies on a ridge, feels a deep connection to nature, and reveals her Mountain origins to Harney. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/vi) Overhears Mr. Royall recount her origins from the Mountain, feels humiliated and fears widening the gap between herself and Harney. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/vi) Tells Harney about the Mountain and reveals he brought down a child (Charity) from there; shows satisfaction in having Harney as a boarder and companion. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/vii) Struggles with her desire for Harney and her fear of social shame, ultimately choosing not to enter his room. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/vii) Shows taciturn indifference to Harney's absence, which disquiets Charity. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/viii) Returns home late from watching Harney's window; confronts Mr. Royall with defiance and bitterness; rejects his marriage proposal. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/viii) Confronts Charity about her late-night visit to Harney; admits he sent Harney away; proposes marriage and offers to bring Harney back if she wishes. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/ix) Charity prepares for her trip to Nettleton with Harney, feeling both excitement and defiance. She reflects on her secret meetings with Harney and her desire for independence, while also recalling the story of Julia Hawes. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/ix) Mr. Royall is referenced as having given Charity ten dollars and as the source of her earlier conflict with Harney. He is not present in the chapter but looms in the background. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/x) Experiences ecstasy and shame; she is kissed by Harney and later publicly humiliated by Mr. Royall. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/x) Appears drunk and disheveled with a disreputable group, publicly denouncing Charity as a whore. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xi) Returns home after Nettleton, overwhelmed by shame and the memory of Mr. Royall's public shaming. She attempts to flee to the Mountain but is stopped by Harney. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xi) Absent from the house; his earlier public shaming of Charity at Nettleton and his past inappropriate behavior are revealed by Charity to Harney. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xii) Returns to North Dormer after Harney's persuasion; lives in a trance of passion, working mechanically at Miss Hatchard's while reliving memories of her secret meetings with Harney. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xii) Returns to North Dormer after the Nettleton incident; maintains a strained silence with Charity, though he talks loudly to Verena in her presence. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xiii) Sings in the choir, searches for Harney, and is devastated by seeing him with Annabel Balch; faints at Mr. Royall's feet. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xiii) Delivers a heartfelt speech about returning to North Dormer for good, showing dignity and a sense of purpose. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xiv) Confronted by Mr. Royall about her relationship with Harney; struggles with fear and insecurity during Old Home Week; returns to the deserted house and is again confronted by Mr. Royall. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xiv) Confronts Charity and Harney at the deserted house, exposing Charity's origins and Harney's lack of commitment; later returns to warn Charity again. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xv) Struggles with shame and uncertainty after Harney's departure; writes to him urging him to do right; experiences nausea and realizes she is pregnant; devastated by Harney's letter confirming his engagement to Annabel Balch. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xv) Returns from a trip; finds Charity in his office at night; offers an unexpected gesture of reaching out his hands. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xvi) Returns to the Mountain, witnesses her mother's burial, and decides to stay with her mother's people. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xvii) Awakens stiff and hungry in the Hyatt shanty, steals bread for her baby, leaves a chemise as payment, and walks toward the pinewood. She is found by Mr. Royall and driven to Hamblin. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xvii) Drives his buggy to the Mountain to find Charity, brings her to Hamblin for breakfast, and proposes they take the train from Creston. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xviii) Feels weary, numb, and dissociated; marries Mr. Royall and honeymoons in Nettleton; experiences fear and regret. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/chapters/xviii) Provides steady, reassuring presence; marries Charity; shows kindness and a new side of himself. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters/charity_royall - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/summer_se/characters