Miss Edith Preston
A compassionate and somewhat repressed spinster who becomes an ambulance driver during World War I.
Core Belief
"Kindness and compassion are essential, but sometimes one must challenge social norms and assert oneself in the face of injustice and suffering."
Worldview
She sees the world as a place of both beauty and suffering, where individuals have a responsibility to alleviate the pain of others. The war shatters her conventional worldview and forces her to confront the harsh realities of human nature.
Personality
Miss Preston is a kind and gentle woman, but also somewhat timid and indecisive. She is initially bound by social conventions and hesitant to challenge authority, but the horrors of war awaken a deeper sense of empathy and courage within her.
In Their Own Words
"“Lucien! That car must have been making eighty miles an hour!”"
"“This ain’t China, Toodles. Lil Fanny ain’t goin’ to be weighed an’ sold to some rich brother Chink at so many seeds per pound. Not much! She’s gonna be eddycated. She’s gonna have her chance, see? She’s gonna be independent of the male beast an’ the sorta life wot the male beast likes to hand to a skoit. Believe me, Toodles, I know what I’m talkin’ about!”"
"“I didn’t want any royal memories, I wanted my dear, bad, self-willed little boy.”"
Other Characters from The best short stories of 1918, and the yearbook of the American short story
Nag Hong Fah
A Chinese restaurant owner in New York's Chinatown who seeks respectability and fatherhood.
Fanny Mei Hi
A mixed-race woman struggling to find her place and identity in early 20th-century New York City.
Miss Frances Giddings
An elderly, genteel spinster who runs a small dry-goods store and cultivates her garden.
Richard “Buster” Parke O’Brien
A curious and energetic teenage boy whose thirst for knowledge often leads to trouble.
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