# Mrs. Joliffe — The Fur Country character guide

> Mrs. Joliffe in The Fur Country by Jules Verne.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Rae, Mrs. Rae, Mrs. Rae Mrs. Joliffe, little Mrs. Joliffe, poor Mrs. Joliffe

**First appearance:** 0005-part-i-iv-a-factory

## Snapshot

Corporal Joliffe's wife, a gossipy, anxious presence at Fort Reliance whose chatter and fears colour the party's long northern winter.

## Who they are

Mrs. Joliffe moves through the fort's social life as one half of the Joliffe pair, named alongside her husband among those destined for terrible experiences. Her anxious, talkative temperament makes her a barometer for the community's unspoken dread as the expedition pushes toward the ice. She matters because the domestic strain she embodies — fear, gossip, and clinging to ordinary comforts — tests the party's morale as much as any storm.

## In the story

### [A Soiree at Fort Reliance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-i-a-soiree-at-fort-reliance)

Corporal Joliffe's bright and active Canadian wife; she made the giant pudding and helped serve the guests with zeal.

### [II: The Hudson’s Bay Fur Company](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-ii-the-hudson-s-bay-fur-company)

Assists Corporal Joliffe in preparing the punch, measuring out the sugar.

### [From Fort Reliance to Fort Enterprise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-v-from-fort-reliance-to-fort-enterprise)

Warns her husband about the danger of their speed and the downhill slope, but is ignored.

### [Along the Coast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-xi-along-the-coast)

Discovers footprints at the abandoned encampment, alerting the party to the presence of previous travelers.

### [Some Excursions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-xiv-some-excursions)

Uses the game and plants for cooking, making pies from hares and gathering wild leeks and Labrador tea.

### [A Neighbourly Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-xix-a-neighbourly-visit)

Prepares the edible portions of the captured bear for the table; is observed by Kalumah during cooking and sewing.

### [Mercury Freezes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-xx-mercury-freezes)

Mentioned as part of the colony; present at the Christmas celebration.

### [The Large Polar Bears](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-xxi-the-large-polar-bears)

Serves breakfast and hot grog to the colonists after the cold subsides.

### [Five Months More](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-i-xxii-five-months-more)

Plants sorrel and cochlearia seeds; her husband checks on the reindeer and dogs.

### [A Chance to Be Tried](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-ii-xii-a-chance-to-be-tried)

Mentioned as Rae the blacksmith, one of the soldiers who deduced the island's drift and supported Hobson.

### [The Island Becomes and Islet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-ii-xxi-the-island-becomes-and-islet)

Discovers the lake water has turned salty and disputes with Hope about its source.

### [The Four Following Days](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-ii-xxii-the-four-following-days)

Prepares food for the colonists in the rough shelter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/characters/mrs_joliffe
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fur_country_se/characters