The Telephone Girl Character Analysis in Machinal

One of Helen’s coworkers in George’s office. Chipper and young, the unnamed telephone girl takes Helen with her to a speakeasy to meet two men, one of whom is Mr. Roe, the man Helen takes as a secret lover. The telephone girl is herself dating Mr. Roe’s married friend, Mr. Smith.

The Telephone Girl Character Timeline in Machinal

The timeline below shows where the character The Telephone Girl appears in Machinal. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...opens on an office, where a stenographer, an adding clerk, a filing clerk, and a telephone girl work at desks, busy on their respective machines. As the adding clerk counts and the... (full context)

Mr. Jones arrives and asks after Helen again, but the telephone girl informs him that she still hasn’t come in. “I just wanted her to take a... (full context)

The telephone girl tells Helen that Mr. Jones wants her, saying, “He’s bellowing for you!” When Helen goes... (full context)

...him she hasn’t and goes on sorting the mail until he leaves. Once he’s gone, the telephone girl asks Helen why she flinched when he touched her. “Did he pinch?” she asks. “No!”... (full context)

...women arrive to meet Mr. Smith and Mr. Roe, and the audience recognizes them as the telephone girl and Helen. Apparently, Mr. Smith has been having an affair with the telephone girl, who... (full context)