The Old Wives’ Tale · Character
Maggie Hollins
After twenty-two years as the Baineses' drudge, Maggie stuns the household by announcing she will marry Hollins the fish-hawker and finally live for herself.
supporting
Also known as Maggie, Hollins, the vile Hollins, Maggie Hollins, old Maggie, young Maggie
First appearance: The Square
As a supporting figure in The Old Wives’ Tale, Maggie Hollins is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
The Baines' servant, seen in new clothes meeting a man in the Square; has been engaged eleven times.
Maggie has been an organism in the Baines house rather than a person — over forty, gawky, worn thin by service, her own wishes never consulted. When she tells Constance she is leaving to marry the fish-hawker she was engaged to back in '48, a separate and capricious individuality surfaces beneath the dehumanized drudge. Her quiet rebellion unsettles Constance's assumptions about class, marriage, and who deserves a life of their own.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
15 connectionsA slice of how Maggie Hollins sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Social
- Other
Character groups
- Bursley family and servants
- Bursley shop and family
- Next generation and friends
- Minor Bursley acquaintances
- Protagonist
+10 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, Sophia reaches an emotional and psychological low point of apathy and entrapment, loathing he…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Sophia Baines
social · ambivalent
Childhood acquaintance and later a poor, pitiable figure in Bursley, evoking Sophia's… How this plays out →
- Sophia Baines
social · ambivalent
Childhood acquaintance and later a poor, pitiable figure in Bursley, evoking Sophia's… How this plays out →
- Sophia Baines
social · ambivalent
Childhood acquaintance and later a poor, pitiable figure in Bursley, evoking Sophia's… How this plays out →
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Maggie Hollins in The SquareIn the story
Maggie Hollins appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Maggie Hollins unlock in the free preview.
See Maggie Hollins in The Square