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The Sport of the Gods · Character

Mrs. Oakley

Maurice Oakley's second wife, a polished Southern hostess whose composure conceals the anxieties of a household built on appearances.

supporting

Also known as the new Mrs. Oakley

First appearance: XIII: The Oakleys

As a supporting figure in The Sport of the Gods, Mrs. Oakley is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Maurice's wife and co-hostess; shares her husband's hope that Francis will marry Claire Lessing and settle in America.
In the storyA Farewell DinnerOpen this moment free

Mrs. Oakley presides over the farewell dinner for Francis with the ease of a woman who has never let a guest wait awkwardly for a meal, and she watches her brother-in-law's flirtation with Claire Lessing with a fondness that is also a plan. She and Maurice would like to see Francis married and settled in America, hedged about from the temptations of the Latin Quarter, but Francis treats Claire with a comrade's ease that refuses to become courtship. Her investment in the family's respectability — and in Francis's future — makes her a quiet architect of the arrangements that will later collapse.

See Mrs. Oakley in A Farewell DinnerBook page

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Character Web

10 connections

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

JHJoe HamiltonFHFannie HamiltonMTMr. ThomasKHKitty HamiltonMBMinty BrownMOMrs. Oakley

Relationship types

  • Professional
  • Other

Character groups

  • New York acquaintances and antagonists
  • Protagonist
  • Oakley circle and victims

+5 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point

This is the story's dramatic climax because it delivers the emotional and psychological peak of Berry’s shatte…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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

See Mrs. Oakley in XIII: The Oakleys

In the story

Mrs. Oakley 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 Mrs. Oakley unlock in the free preview.

See Mrs. Oakley in XIII: The Oakleys
See Mrs. Oakley in A Farewell Dinner
Who is Mrs. Oakley in The Sport of the Gods?