Milly was presented as naïve, gullible and even a little bit desperate. This was shown when she simply accepted Tony’s proposal, after his poor behaviour. “If you like Tony, You didn’t really mean what you said to them?” Tony answered in such a way that he was very unsure of what he was doing, he wasn’t being honest with Milly or himself. “Not a word of it!’ declares Tony, bringing down his fist upon his palm.” He reacted in an aggressive way, showing he was upset because he didn’t achieve what he wanted. Still she remained very loving and loyal to her future husband and they instantly arranged the wedding.
“The Son’s Veto” is a completely different story. Mr. Twycott was the village vicar, he was upper class and presented as shallow, selfish and desperate. “Mr. Twycott knew perfectly well that he had committed social suicide by this step, despite Sophy’s spotless character.” He had employed several maids one of which was Sophy, a young girl, about 20 years his senior. He was widowed whilst Sophy was working for him, and for many years she filled the first wife’s place. There never was any mutual feeling of love for one another. When he asked her to marry him it was out of pity after she was incapacitated for a long time, and left paralysed, “No Sophy; lame or not lame, I cannot let you go. You must never leave me again!” It was also fear of loneliness. The wedding was kept a secret and they soon moved to London. Mr. Twycott lost his reputation, soon after they had a son, Randolph, who went to public school and was very well educated. Mr. Twycott became very dependent on Sophy as the years passed by, even though she was disabled in a wheelchair and was not very aristocratic like him and their son. He soon passed away and Sophy was left alone.
She hardly ever saw her son, as he was always away at school, but she remained to keep her house open for when he rarely visited during the holidays. Since her husband’s death they had lost their mother-son bond. “Her boy, with his aristocratic knowledge, his grammars, and his aversions, was losing those wide infantine sympathies.” Perhaps she felt guilty for the death of her husband, and now thought she had to live up to her sons expectations. He looked down on his mother and was very rude to her, his attitude throughout his mother’s life remained, controlling her and being very demanding. Sophy wasn’t extremely intelligent and she didn’t exceed her son’s expectations! “HAS, dear mother—not have!’ exclaimed the public-school boy, with an impatient fastidiousness that was almost harsh.” Sophy was presented as feeling intimidated by her son and her husband. She was controlled by them both. “She was left with no control over anything that had been her husband’s beyond her modest income.” She was left and invalid. There was nothing for her to do “nothing to occupy her in the world but to eat and drink, and make a business of indolence,”
When she moved back to the village she met again with her family’s gardener Sam, who she was quite fond of before she married. After seeing him again, they talked and discovered their feelings for each other. They wanted to be together and be married but Randolph wouldn’t allow her to re-marry. He became very protective over his mother and insisted that Sam was not right for her; Sam didn’t reach his high expectations. He became very selfish and foul-tempered and reacted in an emotional, but physical way by showing his angry temper. “He went hastily to his own room and fastened the door.” Randolph maid her swear an oath that she would not marry Sam without his consent. “There bade her kneel, and swear that she would not wed Samuel Hobson without his consent ‘I owe this to my father’ he said.” She had no choice but to tell Sam that he would have to wait until she could convince her son. A few years later after Sam had waited and Sophy persistently tried to convince her stubborn, cold hearted son, she sadly died.
Sam was presented as an idealistic, young man. He was, sensitive, patient, hardworking, favourable and independent. He genuinely loved Sophy; he was determined to wait his whole life to marry her. Sophy knew that if she was to be married to Sam, she would be looked after and she would be happy, but she couldn’t betray her son that respected his father so much.
Shadrach Jolliffe was the main character in ‘To Please His Wife’ and he was a very religious man who worked as a Sailor. He would never set out intentionally to hurt anyone. “Soon the sailor parted also from Joanna and, having no especial errand or appointment turned back towards Emily’s house.” He notices two young women, Emily and Joanna, and is very confident and charming “he advanced to their elbow, and genially stole a gaze at them.” He starts off talking to them both and ends up going back to Emily’s house. They grew quite fond of each other “Emily Hanning lost her heart to the sailor that Sunday night, and in course of a week or two there was a tender understanding between them.” It happened very quickly and Shadrach soon discovered it all happened too fast when he fell in love with Joanna, just as quick and they were set out to be married. The sailor was portrayed as gullible, and innocent. “Joanna contrived to wean him away from her gentler and younger rival.” But Joanna was not marrying because she loved him, but because she wanted revenge on Emily. Joanna wasn’t a loving person, and she also had a shallow regard for Shadrach. “She had never been deeply in love with Jolliffe. For one thing she was ambitious, and socially his position was hardly so good as her own.” Shadrach became aware of her attitude over time and he decides he wants to try again with Emily. He regrets marrying Joanna “and now I see the one I ought to have asked to be my wife.” He is also shallow, “beautiful creatures and he takes the first that comes easy, without thinking if she loves him, or he might not soon love another better than her.” He says this to Emily, and at first she isn’t interested, she still likes him but he is about to marry Joanna. He asks her to marry him, knowing Joanna wants better and hoping she will let him go. Emily is quite dubious of him “I wonder - are you sure - Joanna is going to break off with you? O, are you sure? Because -”
