# Mrs. Oakley — The Sport of the Gods character guide

> Mrs. Oakley in The Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the new Mrs. Oakley

**First appearance:** 0012-xiii-the-oakleys

## Snapshot

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

## Who they are

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.

## Relationships

### [Joe Hamilton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/characters/joe_hamilton)

_professional_

Mrs. Oakley is the former employer of Joe's parents, representing the oppressive social order that Joe escapes but cannot overcome.

### [Joe Hamilton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/characters/joe_hamilton)

_professional_

Mrs. Oakley is the former employer of Joe's parents, representing the oppressive social order that Joe escapes but cannot overcome.

### [Joe Hamilton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/characters/joe_hamilton)

_professional_

Mrs. Oakley is the former employer of Joe's parents, representing the oppressive social order that Joe escapes but cannot overcome.

## In the story

### [A Farewell Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/chapters/ii-a-farewell-dinner)

Maurice's wife and co-hostess; shares her husband's hope that Francis will marry Claire Lessing and settle in America.

### [III: The Theft](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/chapters/iii-the-theft)

Awakened by Maurice to hear the news; agrees that Hamilton must be made an example of.

### [XIII: The Oakleys](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/chapters/xiii-the-oakleys)

Remains acquiescent and trusting of her husband; reads Francis's letter and agrees to keep the secret, prioritizing family honor over justice.

### [XVI: Skaggs's Theory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/chapters/xvi-skaggs-s-theory)

Attempts to prevent Skaggs from seeing her husband but relents when Oakley hears 'Paris'.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/characters/mrs_oakley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sport_of_the_gods_se/characters