# Harriett — The Tunnel character guide

> Harriett in The Tunnel by Dorothy M. Richardson.

**Role:** supporting

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

## Snapshot

A theatre-loving friend with a 'little buff-shadowed face,' whose shared evenings of Ellen Terry and footlit magic Miriam can neither fully recapture nor write about honestly.

## Who they are

Harriett is bound up with Miriam's memory of a week of nightly theatre — the curtain, the orchestra, the 'perfection of happiness' on her face. But she is also the person Miriam cannot write to truthfully, because the letter would seem like a reflection on their shared past. She represents the warmth of ordinary companionship and the quiet difficulty of outgrowing it.

## In the story

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

Engages in playful physical banter with Gerald; approves of Miriam; shows strength and scorn directed outward.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/xiv)

Miriam recalls past theatre visits with Harriett, contrasting the shared magic of those evenings with her recent solitary reflection.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/xxii)

Harriett appears in Miriam's childhood memories, specifically in the context of quarrelling in the nursery.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tunnel_se/chapters/xxv)

Pregnant and struggling with fear and physical discomfort; appears strong but confesses her dread of childbirth.

## Links

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