A
The eponymous ‘tall woman’ of the play, in her nineties. She is proud and domineering and holds conservative social values, often manifesting as casual racism and sexism. Her character is somewhat contradictory, being both senile and juvenile as well as erratic and resigned. Despite her bigotry and imperiousness, she is at times portrayed sympathetically.
B
The fifty-two year old caretaker of A, helping the elderly woman to eat and dress. She is distinctly cynical and somewhat stoic, believing in enduring the injustices of life. It is revealed that she is in fact a younger version of A, another aspect of the ‘tall woman’, and embodies the cynicism of middle age.
C
The twenty-six year old representative of A’s lawyer who has come to organize the elderly woman’s accounts after she hasn’t been paying her bills. She is idealistic but extremely critical of A’s senility and prejudiced remarks. It is revealed that she is an even younger version of A or the ‘tall woman’ and represents the idealism of youth.
The Boy
The estranged son of A who appears briefly by his mother’s bedside during her ill health. He doesn’t speak for the duration of the play but it is revealed that he was alienated by his mother’s conservative views due to his own sexuality and lifestyle and and made the decision to leave her when he was a teenager.
