Characters
The four central characters are studies in contrast: the two friends Caroline Helstone and Shirley Keeldar, and their loves, the brothers Robert and Louis Gérard Moore.
- Robert Gérard Moore - An industrialist whose textile mill is idle because of the war. Perceived as an outsider because he comes from Antwerp, even though he is a cousin of Caroline. During the novel, Robert Moore installs new labor-saving machinery in his mill and becomes the target of Luddite attacks.
- Louis Gérard Moore - Robert's brother, working as a tutor for Shirley's uncle.
- Caroline Helstone - A timid and uncertain, but also wise and capable young woman, the niece of Reverend Helstone and best friend of Shirley.
- Shirley Keeldar - An orphaned heiress to a fortune. A headstrong, independent and determined young woman.
Other characters in the novel include:
- Rev Matthewston Helstone - Caroline's uncle. A fierce man, who is not cruel, but still shows little affection for his niece. Marriage has made him distrustful of women in general.
- Hortense Gérard Moore - Robert and Louis's sister.
- Hiram Yorke - A local landowner.
- Joe Scott - Robert Moore's foreman at the mill.
- Mrs. Pryor - Shirley's timid but wise governess, who moves to Fieldhead together with Shirley. She eventually turns out to be Caroline's long-lost mother.
- The three Curates of the three parishes - The brutish Irishman Peter Malone, the Cockney Joseph Donne, and the amiable Davy Sweeting.
Read more about this topic: Shirley (novel)
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