# Harriet Herriton — Where Angels Fear to Tread character guide > Harriet Herriton in Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Harriet, Aunt Harriet, the reluctant Harriet **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot Philip's rigid, self-righteous sister, whose conviction that she knows what is proper turns every good intention into a fresh disaster. ## Who they are Harriet is the Herriton conscience at its most inflexible — a woman who measures the world by Sawston standards and finds Italy wanting. She accompanies Philip to Monteriano not to understand but to correct, and her certainty that she is doing right makes her blind to the harm she causes. Her eventual shock and remorse reveal how brittle that righteousness always was, and how little it prepared her for real grief. ## Relationships ### [Philip Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/philip_herriton) _family_ Harriet is Philip's sister, and their relationship is characterized by her domineering, narrow-minded control and his reluctant compliance. ### [Caroline Abbott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/caroline_abbott) _rivalry_ Caroline and Harriet clash bitterly over the fate of Lilia's child, representing opposing moral and cultural viewpoints. ### [Mrs. Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/mrs_herriton) _family_ Harriet and Mrs. Herriton are mother and daughter, united in their rigid, snobbish values and shared disapproval of Lilia's choices. ### [Gino Carella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/gino_carella) _rivalry_ Gino and Harriet are bitter enemies, with Harriet viewing him as a barbarian and Gino resenting her meddling in his family. ### [Irma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/irma) _family_ Harriet is Irma's aunt, and she treats Irma with cold, authoritarian discipline, seeing her as a project rather than a child. ### [Lilia Theobald](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/lilia_theobald) _family_ Harriet is Lilia's sister-in-law, and their relationship is marked by Harriet's open disdain and Lilia's defiance. ### [Caroline Abbott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/caroline_abbott) _rivalry_ Caroline and Harriet clash bitterly over the fate of Lilia's child, representing opposing moral and cultural viewpoints. ### [Philip Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/philip_herriton) _family_ Harriet is Philip's sister, and their relationship is characterized by her domineering, narrow-minded control and his reluctant compliance. ### [Philip Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/philip_herriton) _family_ Harriet is Philip's sister, and their relationship is characterized by her domineering, narrow-minded control and his reluctant compliance. ### [Mrs. Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/mrs_herriton) _family_ Harriet and Mrs. Herriton are mother and daughter, united in their rigid, snobbish values and shared disapproval of Lilia's choices. ### [Mrs. Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/mrs_herriton) _family_ Harriet and Mrs. Herriton are mother and daughter, united in their rigid, snobbish values and shared disapproval of Lilia's choices. ### [Irma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/irma) _family_ Harriet is Irma's aunt, and she treats Irma with cold, authoritarian discipline, seeing her as a project rather than a child. ## In the story ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/i) Harriet is distressed by the news and helps her mother in the garden while expressing helplessness. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/iii) Harriet responds to Lilia's letter with a demand for the return of an inlaid box, representing the Herritons' cold and legalistic attitude toward Lilia. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/iv) Harriet sends a brief note to Lilia forbidding direct communication between Lilia and her daughter Irma, contributing to Lilia's sense of isolation. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/vi) Harriet travels with Philip, complaining about the heat, losing her sketchbook, and suffering from smuts in her eye. She is irritable and focused on the rescue mission. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/viii) Furious at Miss Abbott's interference; accuses her of betrayal and later disappears, leaving a note. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/ix) Mentioned as the perpetrator of the kidnapping; her crime is discussed but details remain unknown due to her illness. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/x) Slumbering in the train, recovering from her illness and remorse, quickly returning to her normal state. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/harriet_herriton - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters