# Paulina Mary — Villette character guide

> Paulina Mary in Villette by Charlotte Brontë.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Polly, Paulina Home de Bassompierre, little Polly, Miss de Bassompierre, Modeste Maria Beck

**First appearance:** 0001-ii-paulina

## Snapshot

A delicate, adoring girl who grows from a precocious child into a woman whose devotion is as steady as it is quietly demanding.

## Who they are

Paulina Home — Polly to those who knew her young — is the daughter of a wealthy count and the object of Graham Bretton's eventual affections. As a child she is unnervingly composed and devoted; as a woman she retains that focused loyalty, turning it on the man she has chosen. She matters because she represents a kind of love Lucy can observe but never quite inhabit: uncomplicated, reciprocated, and socially sanctioned.

## Relationships

### [John Graham Bretton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/john_graham_bretton)

_romantic_

They share a deep, pure love that matures from childhood affection into a devoted marriage.

### [John Graham Bretton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/john_graham_bretton)

_romantic_

They share a deep, pure love that matures from childhood affection into a devoted marriage.

## In the story

### [Bretton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/i-bretton)

Called Polly; a tiny, neat, and precocious child who arrives after her mother's death and father's illness, showing independence and emotional restraint.

### [Paulina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/ii-paulina)

A young girl deeply attached to her father, exhibiting homesickness and a monomaniacal focus on him.

### [The Playmates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/iii-the-playmates)

A six-year-old girl deeply attached to Graham; she is capricious, proud, and struggles with her feelings of love and jealousy.

### [M. de Bassompierre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxiv-m-de-bassompierre)

M. de Bassompierre's daughter, who was nearly crushed at the theatre and is now being attended by Dr. John.

### [The Little Countess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxv-the-little-countess)

The 'little Countess'; resists going to school, shows a mature side at Bretton's, and joyfully greets her father.

### [A Burial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxvi-a-burial)

Confides in Lucy about Ginevra's claims; shows shyness toward Graham; tries to improve her manner with him.

### [The Hôtel Crécy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxvii-the-h-tel-cr-cy)

Paulina is the focus of Dr. John's attention at the party. She is described as pale and fatigued from over-excitement, and her childhood bond with Graham is recalled.

### [The First Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxxii-the-first-letter)

Reveals her deep feelings for Graham and shares the secret of his letter.

### [Sunshine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxxvii-sunshine)

Deeply in love with Graham, she shares her happiness and letters with Lucy, and eventually marries him.

### [The Happy Pair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xl-the-happy-pair)

Cousin of Ginevra; receives a vague letter about Ginevra's intentions.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/paulina_mary
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters