Lone DuPres Character Analysis in Paradise

Lone is the elderly midwife of Ruby. She was adopted by the DuPreses on the way to Ruby, and one of the DuPres women trained Lone as a midwife. She used to service the whole town, but mothers now prefer to give birth in the nearby hospital. This shift comes partly because the Fleetwoods and other townspeople blame Lone for the disabilities of the Fleetwood children. In addition to midwifery, Lone creates herbal remedies and practices spiritual magic. She teaches Connie the healing magic of “stepping in,” and she insists that this power is a gift from God despite Connie’s trepidation. When nine men in town decide to attack the Convent, Lone overhears their meeting and tries to warn the women. When they dismiss her, she rallies other townspeople against the men.

Lone DuPres Character Timeline in Paradise

The timeline below shows where the character Lone DuPres appears in Paradise. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the founding families encountered an orphan baby. The DuPreses took her in and named her Lone, and she now works as the town’s midwife. The Fleetwoods blame Lone for the disabilities... (full context)

...arrival and 10 years after her affair with Deek, Connie faints from a dizzy spell; Lone DuPres, who has come by to buy peppers, finds her. Lone, who is over 70,... (full context)

Lone is visiting Connie at the Convent when Deek’s sons and their friend crash their car.... (full context)

Lone drives away from the Convent after the women dismiss her warnings about an impending danger.... (full context)

With her career mostly over, Lone relies on the generosity of neighbors and spends her time gathering medicinal herbs. It is... (full context)

...the deaths of the white family who stopped at Anna Flood’s store several years ago. Lone herself recently discovered the car full of skeletons, and the men blame the Convent’s witchcraft,... (full context)

Lone fails to grasp the extent of Steward and Deek’s rage. She correctly assesses that they... (full context)

Lone believes that because God showed her this conversation, he wants her to do something about... (full context)

The Convent women dance together in the rain as Lone looks for Pious DuPres, who she considers family because the DuPreses took her in as... (full context)

Shortly after, Lone tends to the dying white woman, the first person shot in the massacre. She is... (full context)

Lone tries to spread the truth, but the townspeople dismiss her, even though she has the... (full context)