Flowers in The Attic - Characters

Characters

• Catherine Leigh "Cathy" Dollanganger: The protagonist and narrator of the novel. Cathy is the second child and oldest daughter of Christopher and Corrine. She becomes an accomplished ballerina and later a novelist. During their time in the attic, she falls in love with Chris. In Petals on the Wind, she becomes the mother of Jory and Bart Jr. In If There Be Thorns she also adopts a daughter Cindy and lives with Chris as his wife. She is a mother figure to Carrie and Cory. She dies in the fourth book of natural causes nine or ten months after Chris's death. Her children and grandchildren are still alive.
• Christopher "Chris" Dollanganger, Jr.: Eldest son and child of Christopher and Corrine. Chris is the older brother of Cathy, Cory, and Carrie. During their time in the attic, he falls in love with Cathy. He is described as being very intelligent and becomes a successful doctor. He is Cathy's true love. He eventually marries Cathy and adopts a daughter, Cindy, and is a father figure to Jory and Bart. He dies in a car accident in the fourth book.
• Cory Dollanganger: Twin brother of Carrie and younger brother of Cathy and Chris. He is described as introverted and musically talented. He becomes ill during their time in the attic and dies from arsenic poisoning by Corrine. He is also described as the "quiet one of the twins."
• Carrie Dollanganger: Twin sister to Cory and the younger sister of Cathy and Chris. She is described as an extraverted girly girl, but her twin's death changes her. She has lifelong health complications and low self-esteem. She commits suicide in the second book.
• Corrine Dollanganger (née Foxworth): Mother of Chris, Cathy, Cory, and Carrie and widowed wife of Christopher Dollanganger. Eventually becomes an antagonist in the story when she tries to kill her children for her father's inheritance. She marries her father's attorney Bart Winslow later on and loses interest in her children and late husband. She is given a chance for redemption in the third book and dies saving Cathy's life.
• Bartholomew Winslow, Sr.: Second husband of Corrine Foxworth Dollanganger. Father of Cathy's son, Bart, Jr.. He marries Corrine believing that she has never had any children. He is a "trophy husband" and Cathy is shocked to discover that he is eight years younger than Corrine. To get revenge on her mother, Cathy has an affair with him in the second book. He dies in the fire which burns down Foxworth Hall.
• Olivia Foxworth (née Winfield): Wife of Malcolm Foxworth. Grandmother of the Dollanganger children. Cousin of John Amos. Olivia and Malcolm are co-antagonists in this book but a different side of Olivia is revealed in Garden of Shadows. She has raised Corrine as her daughter. Corrine is unaware she is really the daughter of Malcolm's young stepmother Alicia, whom Malcolm raped. Olivia dies in the fire at Foxworth Hall in .
• Malcolm Foxworth: Father of Corrine and grandfather of the Dollanganger children. Husband of Olivia. He is described as having a heart condition, which may be a paradox, because he is also described as heartless. He dies during the book, though Chris and Cathy don't find out until somewhere near the end. He was also the older half-brother of the children's father.
• Christopher Dollanganger, Sr.: Corrine's first husband; father of the children. He was Malcolm's younger half-brother. He is Corrine's half-uncle but never knew that he was also her half-brother. He is described as a wonderful father who couldn't bear to be separated from his children for longer than five days. He is killed in a car accident on his birthday at the beginning of the book.
• John Amos: A butler to the Foxworth family and Olivia's cousin. He is the one who convinces Olivia to lock the children in the attic. Similarly, he uses religion in a hypocritical manner to manipulate Cathy's younger son. He becomes the antagonist of the third book and dies in the end.