# Alma Wilson — The Tunnel character guide

> Alma Wilson in The Tunnel by Dorothy M. Richardson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Alma, the Wilson

**First appearance:** 0001-the-tunnel

## Snapshot

A schoolfellow turned Mrs. G. Wilson, whose breezy letter about marriage drops into Miriam's solitude like a challenge she cannot decide whether to answer.

## Who they are

Alma writes in exclamation marks — 'You dear old thing!' — proposing a sequestered teashop reunion and the confession of her marriage. To Miriam she is both a triumph recalled and a defection: someone who has 'gone in amongst the crowd already,' married in the casual way she once went to theatre-parties. The letter sits unopened, then torn open, testing whether Miriam can touch her old life without being pulled back into it.

## Relationships

### [Miriam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/characters/miriam)

_rivalry_

Alma Wilson and Miriam have a tense, competitive relationship marked by frequent conflict.

### [Miriam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/characters/miriam)

_rivalry_

Alma Wilson and Miriam have a tense, competitive relationship marked by frequent conflict.

## In the story

### [The Tunnel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/the-tunnel)

A friend or acquaintance, representing a different social sphere.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/ii)

Mentioned in Miriam's thoughts; Miriam writes to her, hoping she will understand the freedom of London life and the beauty of the Upper Richmond Road.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/iv)

Sends a letter to Miriam announcing her marriage and expressing excitement to reconnect, but Miriam views her as part of a past life now separate from her new identity.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/v)

Referenced as part of the world of science that Miriam observes; Miriam thinks that the lecture audience represents Alma's world.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/vi)

Hosts a social gathering; Miriam perceives her as superficial and trying to be real but failing.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/viii)

Part of the Wilson circle; Miriam imagines their sitting-room and feels a sense of loss and distance.

### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/xvii)

Mentioned indirectly as part of the 'aunt and cousins' group; represents the social fortress.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/characters/alma_wilson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/characters