Mary Ann Bloomfield Character Analysis in Agnes Grey

Younger sister to Tom Bloomfield, Mary Ann is a large, rosy-cheeked six-year-old. Spoiled, vain, and lazy, Mary Ann often refuses to do the work her governess Agnes assigns to her and screams at painful volume when Agnes attempts—against Mary Ann’s parents’ wishes—to discipline her. Mary Ann’s mother Mrs. Bloomfield eventually fires Agnes for her children’s poor behavior.

Mary Ann Bloomfield Quotes in Agnes Grey

The Agnes Grey quotes below are all either spoken by Mary Ann Bloomfield or refer to Mary Ann Bloomfield. 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

“Surely, Tom, you would not strike your sister! I hope I shall never see you do that.”

“You will sometimes: I’m obliged to do it now and then to keep her in order.”

“But it is not your business to keep her in order, you know, that is for—”

“Well, now go and put on your bonnet.”

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Tom Bloomfield (speaker), Mary Ann Bloomfield

Page Number and Citation: 16

Explanation and Analysis:

The habitual fear of their father’s peevish temper, and the dread of the punishments he was wont to inflict when irritated, kept them generally within bounds in his immediate presence. The girls, too, had some fear of their mother’s anger; and the boy might occasionally be bribed to do as she bid him by the hope of reward: but I had no rewards to offer, and as for punishments, I was given to understand, the parents reserved that privilege for themselves; and yet they expected me to keep my pupils in order.

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Tom Bloomfield, Mrs. Bloomfield, Mary Ann Bloomfield, Mr. Bloomfield, Fanny Bloomfield

Page Number and Citation: 21–22

Explanation and Analysis:

Mary Ann Bloomfield Character Timeline in Agnes Grey

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

Seven-year-old Tom and his sister Mary Ann enter the room with their little sisters, almost-four-year-old Fanny and toddler Harriet. Agnes tries to... (full context)

In the school room, Mary Ann shows Agnes her doll and chatters about all its clothes and accessories until Tom tells... (full context)

...orders Agnes to put on her bonnet so he can show her his garden. When Mary Ann says they should look at hers too, Tom threatens her with his fist. Agnes tells... (full context)

...next day in the school room, Agnes discovers that Tom is clever but lazy, while Mary Ann is both lazy and almost illiterate. After managing to teach them a little, Agnes takes... (full context)

Tom will occasionally do his work so that he can go play, but Mary Ann often falls to the floor and lies there as if dead until mealtimes rather than... (full context)

Agnes notes to readers that she has enumerated the difficulties of educating Tom, Mary Ann , and Fanny without support from Mr. Bloomfield and Mrs. Bloomfield’s “more potent authority” specifically... (full context)

...a happy Christmas at home, Agnes returns to work with resolve. One snowy day, Tom, Mary Ann , and Fanny try to throw Agnes’s work-bag into the fire and her desk out... (full context)

Mr. Bloomfield starts surveilling Agnes. One day, in the spring, Tom, Mary Ann , and Fanny complete their lessons for once, and—kept indoors by rain—play with broken toys... (full context)

...tells the children they must pick up after themselves before they’ll get their next meal, Mary Ann and Fanny do it—but Tom, furious, hits his sisters, throws furniture, and scatters coal around.... (full context)

...strong, stupid, condescending man, because he has a bad effect on the children. He encourages Mary Ann ’s superficiality by praising her prettiness, which Agnes has tried to teach her is less... (full context)

...Bloomfield Senior and Uncle Robson visit, because Mrs. Bloomfield expects her to keep Tom and Mary Ann away from the guests but never helps her do so. Then, one day, Mrs. Bloomfield... (full context)