# Polly Ochiltree — The Marrow of Tradition character guide

> Polly Ochiltree in The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Polly, Mrs. Ochiltree, old Mrs. Polly Ochiltree, Ochiltree

**First appearance:** 0003-ii-the-christening-party

## Snapshot

A sharp-tongued old woman whose dying hints about a hidden will unsettle the family she raised and the inheritance they assume is theirs.

## Who they are

Mrs. Ochiltree is the aunt who reared Olivia Carteret and whose fortune passes to her niece as a matter of course. In her last months she grows childish and lets slip fragments about a will that might divide the estate with a woman and child no one in the family acknowledges. Her death and the papers she leaves behind plant a doubt that gnaws at the Carterets' peace and touches the novel's deepest questions about blood, race, and what is owed.

## Relationships

### [Mars John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/characters/mars_john)

_family_

Mars John and Polly Ochiltree are siblings, sharing a contentious but familial relationship marked by old grudges.

### [Mrs. Carteret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/characters/mrs_carteret)

_family_

Mrs. Carteret and Polly Ochiltree are aunt and niece, with Polly often interfering in family matters and causing tension.

### [Mrs. Carteret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/characters/mrs_carteret)

_family_

Mrs. Carteret and Polly Ochiltree are aunt and niece, with Polly often interfering in family matters and causing tension.

### [Mars John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/characters/mars_john)

_family_

Mars John and Polly Ochiltree are siblings, sharing a contentious but familial relationship marked by old grudges.

### [Mrs. Carteret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/characters/mrs_carteret)

_family_

Mrs. Carteret and Polly Ochiltree are aunt and niece, with Polly often interfering in family matters and causing tension.

## In the story

### [II: The Christening Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/ii-the-christening-party)

Godmother to Dodie; makes sharp, critical remarks at the dinner table, revealing her blunt personality.

### [X: Delamere Plays a Trump](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/x-delamere-plays-a-trump)

Confronts Ellis about rumors of Tom's misconduct and reports them to Olivia and Clara.

### [XIV: The Maunderings of Old Mrs. Ochiltree](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/xiv-the-maunderings-of-old-mrs-ochiltree)

Aging and senile, she reveals the family secret about Julia Brown's child and her role in securing Olivia's inheritance.

### [XV: Mrs. Carteret Seeks an Explanation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/xv-mrs-carteret-seeks-an-explanation)

The aunt who reveals she drove Julia Brown away and stole the marriage papers after Mr. Merkell's death.

### [The Social Aspirations of Captain McBane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/xvii-the-social-aspirations-of-captain-mcbane)

Tom considers robbing her, knowing she keeps money in her house and is growing weak and childish.

### [XX: A Shocking Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/xx-a-shocking-crime)

Found murdered in her home, her cedar chest broken open.

### [XXX: The Missing Papers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/chapters/xxx-the-missing-papers)

Deceased; her earlier revelations and the papers found after her death trigger Mrs. Carteret's crisis.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/characters/polly_ochiltree
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_marrow_of_tradition_se/characters