Mary Character Analysis in Agnes Grey

Mary is older sister to Agnes and the oldest surviving child of Alice and Richard Grey. While Agnes is working as a governess, Mary—then aged 28—marries the 30-something vicar of a nearby parish, a man who is neither handsome nor rich but whose goodness she admires. After Richard Grey dies, Mary asks her mother Alice to come live with her and her husband, but Alice chooses to start a small school with Agnes rather than become a drain on Mary’s household.

Mary Quotes in Agnes Grey

The Agnes Grey quotes below are all either spoken by Mary or refer to Mary. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Education, Authority, and Class Theme Icon

“You did not ask me if Mr Richardson were a good, wise, or amiable man.”

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Mary, Rosalie Murray

Page Number and Citation: 59

Explanation and Analysis:

“Sir Thomas is young, rich and gay; but an ugly beast, nevertheless; however mamma says I should not mind that after a few months’ acquaintance.”

Related Characters: Rosalie Murray (speaker), Agnes Grey, Mary, Mrs. Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 61

Explanation and Analysis:

We often pity the poor, because they have no leisure to mourn their departed relatives, and necessity obliges them to labour through their severest afflictions: but is not active employment the best remedy for overwhelming sorrow—the surest antidote for despair?

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Mary, Mrs. Murray

Page Number and Citation: 125

Explanation and Analysis:

Mary Character Timeline in Agnes Grey

The timeline below shows where the character Mary appears in Agnes Grey. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Agnes’s mother and Richard have six children, of which two—Agnes and her older sister Mary—survive. Agnes and Mary are homeschooled by their educated parents, so they rarely interact with the... (full context)

...babies her, preferring that she study rather than help. One day, Agnes’s mother suggests that Mary sell drawings and paintings to an art dealer. When Agnes expresses a desire to contribute... (full context)

...Yet as her sick father Richard Grey worries incessantly about what will happen to her, Mary, and their mother when he dies, Agnes takes her mother aside and says she would... (full context)

...the surrounding countryside. The December beforehand, while Agnes is reading a letter from her sister Mary, Rosalie interrupts her. Rosalie tells Agnes to put away her “stupid” letter and says that... (full context)

Agnes tells Rosalie that she wants to see her family—and that her sister, Mary, is getting married in January. When Rosalie asks why Agnes didn’t mention this news earlier,... (full context)

...upcoming vacation a little early. When Agnes arrives home late that night, her mother and Mary, looking very pale, meet her and tell her that her father has died. (full context)

After Richard Grey’s funeral, Agnes, Mary, and their mother sit around the table and discuss their future. Though Mary asks their... (full context)

...her father. She reads it, throws it down on the table, and tells Agnes and Mary that their grandfather has offered to support her and write Agnes and Mary into his... (full context)