Carol
Carol is the central character and narrator in the short story "The Creature." Carol is only 14 years old. Carol and her mother have a strained relationship because they do not get along well. When Carol hears that she is going to work in Mrs. Pikes Mansion, she gets excited.
When Carol gets to Mrs. Pikes' mansion, she gets inspired and starts fantasizing about her prosperous future. Carol's role in the house is to help in preparing for the arrival of the widow's grandchildren. Later, one of the widow's sons comes without his wife during the visit. Carol innocently falls in love with him despite knowing he is married.
Mitchell
Mitchell is a single father in Portland, Maine, dating Kate in the story "Five Tuesdays in Winter." Kate is new in town, and she gets attracted to Mitchell. Mitchell gives Kate the hardest assignment. Mitchell asks Kate to bring him a mushroom soup from the restaurant. However, the restaurant rarely sells mushroom soup. Kate agrees with the hope that a miracle will happen in the evening and return with the mushroom soup.
Kate
Kate is Mitchell’s prospective fiancée. Despite being given the hardest assignment by Mitchell, Kate does her best and returns in the evening with a mushroom soup. Mitchell gets excited because the impossibility turns out to be a possibility.
Mrs. Pike (The wealthy widow)
Mrs. Pike is a wealthy widow living in an opulent mansion. Mrs. Pikes is preparing to receive her grandchildren over the holiday, and she requests Carol to work for her to make the visit a success. Carol realizes that despite Mrs. Pikes being a rich widow, she is compassionate.
Oda
Oda is the central character in the story "North Sea." Oda is grieving the death of her husband, Fritz. Family and friends advise Oda to go on a trip with her daughter Hanne to heal and move on. However, Hanne becomes more troublesome than before because she does not appreciate anything her mother does to please her. Therefore, Oda feels more depressed and lonely.
Lucy
Lucy is the protagonist of the story "Timeline." Lucy breaks up with her boyfriend, Williams, after having an abortion. To avoid bad memories, Lucy relocates to Burlington from Cambridge.
