Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Lilia

When the novel opens, Lilia is clearly our protagonist—we're cheering her on when she breaks out of the stifling confines of Edwardian society by following her heart and marrying Gino. We have high hopes that Italy has a positive influence on her by helping her to become less close-minded. But when Lilia dies tragically before we're even halfway through the novel, we're forced to turn to Caroline as our next protagonist.

Miss Caroline Abbott

For the first half of the novel, Miss Abbott is mostly in the background. She's simply Lilia's travel companion, there to keep an eye on Lilia and report back to the Herritons if there's anything out of order.

But when Caroline fails to warn Mrs. Herriton in time to prevent Lilia's marriage, we assume she's going to be out of the picture. Not the case. After Lilia dies and leaves behind a baby boy, Miss Abbott takes it upon herself to "rescue" the poor child from his father.

During her second trip to Italy, Caroline undergoes a transformation—she realizes that she was wrong to think that Gino was an unacceptable father, and she grows to appreciate what the Italian culture has to offer. Her personal growth from a naïve young lady into a mature adult makes her our second heroine of the novel, and one we're totally happy to follow.