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Patricia’s Father
Mrs. Bell was John Ford’s secretary when he was headmaster at the fancy school Looksmart attended. She knows about John and Patricia Wiley’s long-term affair. After John’s suicide, Mrs. Bell calls Patricia to inform her that the police want to speak with her because John mentioned her in his suicide note. Due to Mrs. Bell’s nosiness and pleasure at Patricia’s discomfort, Patricia wonders whether Mrs. Bell may have loved John or even had an affair with him herself.
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Mrs. Bell Character Timeline in The Dream House
The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Bell appears in The Dream House. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
...Patricia picks up the phone. The person on the other end identifies herself as “ Mrs. Bell from the school.” From Mrs. Bell, Patricia learns John is dead and may have killed...
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...hallway, a young Indian policewoman approaches and says she’d like to talk to Patricia. Then Mrs. Bell comes up. When Patricia asks what happened, the policewoman says they suspect suicide. Patricia is...
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Patricia says John seemed fine when she saw him the day before. Mrs. Bell asks whether Patricia didn’t know about his cancer. Patricia, “humiliated,” says she didn’t. The policewoman...
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...“whether or not it is too late to care about him—to feel extravagantly,” agrees. When Mrs. Bell sniffs, Patricia wonders whether she too had an affair with John; she contemplates how she...
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Patricia asks what happens next. The policewoman says Mrs. Bell has notified John’s relatives. Patricia decides she doesn’t want to witness John’s children faking grief...
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