The Cords of Vanity · Character

Margaret Hugonin

Margaret Elizabeth Anstruther Hugonin survives in the narrator's memory as a childhood sweetheart, one of the early attachments that taught him how easily affection can be left behind.

supporting

Also known as Margaret, Hugonin, Margaret Elizabeth Anstruther Hugonin

First appearance: i he sits out a dance

As a supporting figure in The Cords of Vanity, Margaret Hugonin is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The heiress of Selwoode, described as clever and beautiful, is the object of the narrator's scheming; he later encounters a young woman he believes to be her.

In the storyHe Reviles Destiny and Climbs a WallOpen this moment free

Margaret Hugonin is a figure from the narrator's past, a childhood sweetheart whose memory belongs to the long backward glance that frames the novel. She is less a presence in the present action than a measure of it: the kind of early, uncomplicated devotion that Robert Townsend's temperament has since learned to shirk whenever it threatens discomfort. Her name carries the weight of what he has outgrown and abandoned, and it helps establish the pattern of romantic evasion that the book goes on to dissect.

See Margaret Hugonin in He Reviles Destiny and Climbs a Wall Book page

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Character Web

7 connections

A slice of how Margaret Hugonin sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Romantic
Other

Character groups

Expansive social network
Central romantic triangle
Protagonist

+2 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this scene, the emotional peak occurs when Elena physically strikes the narrator after his social blunder,…

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Relationships

Unknown Narrator
romantic · positive
Margaret is a young woman with whom the narrator shares a flirtatious and possibly… How this plays out →
Unknown Narrator
romantic · positive
Margaret is a young woman with whom the narrator shares a flirtatious and possibly… How this plays out →
Unknown Narrator
romantic · positive
Margaret is a young woman with whom the narrator shares a flirtatious and possibly… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Margaret Hugonin in i he sits out a dance

In the story

Margaret Hugonin appears across 15 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

He Reviles Destiny and Climbs a Wall
The heiress of Selwoode, described as clever and beautiful, is the object of the narrator's scheming; he later encounters a young woman he believes to be her.
I
Mentioned in the social items as having reopened Selwoode for the summer.
II
The wealthy heiress living at Selwoode, whom the narrator targets as a potential wife.
XXIV: He Reconciles Sentiment and Reason
The woman Townsend meets, initially believed to be Avis Beechinor, but later identified by her monogrammed handkerchief.
II
Mentioned as the owner of the estate and the one who refuses visitors, though she does not appear in the chapter.
III
Revealed to be the true identity of 'Avis Beechinor' via the handkerchief initials.
XXV: He Advances in the Attack on Selwoode
The heiress Townsend is courting; she plays coy and witty, eventually agreeing to consider marriage in November.
II
Margaret is the subject of the narrator's thoughts; he wonders if the handkerchief is hers and reflects on her name.
IV
Prefers the narrator on the wall, teases him about being 'ruins' and 'marmalade,' and playfully asks to be adopted.
VII
The object of the narrator's love, whose identity as an heiress he knows but chooses not to reveal.
He Assists in the Diversion of Birds
Mentioned as the heiress Avis is mistaken for; she gave Avis the handkerchiefs with her monogram.
III
Mentioned as the heiress whom the narrator does not wish to marry.
I
Margaret accosts the narrator after his interview with Mrs. Beechinor, encourages him, and shares her own romantic history.
II
Margaret, now Mrs. William Woods, speaks impatiently to her husband and prepares to confide in the narrator about Avis.
III
Mentioned as keeping everyone in a 'perpetual swivet.'

Chapter companion notes

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See Margaret Hugonin in i he sits out a dance

See Margaret Hugonin in He Reviles Destiny and Climbs a Wall