The Shoe-Horn Sonata Characters

One of the protagonists of the play, Bridie is a funny, tough Australian woman, and one of the subjects of a television documentary about Japanese prison camps during World War II. It has now been… read analysis of Bridie

One of the protagonists of the play, Sheila is a prim and proper British woman, and one of the subjects of a television documentary about Japanese prison camps during World War II. As a young… read analysis of Sheila

One of Sheila and Bridie’s fellow detainees in the Japanese prison camps. Miss Dryburgh forms a choir with a group of women, enlisting Sheila as a singer and asking Bridie to mark the beat… read analysis of Miss Dryburgh

One of the Japanese guards at the prison camp where Sheila and Bridie are held captive during World War II. The prisoners call this guard “Lipstick Larry” because he punches women in the face if… read analysis of Lipstick Larry

A proper and somewhat conceited woman who tells Sheila—her daughter—that it’s dishonorable to run “from a few Orientals,” despite the obvious fact that the Japanese are about to invade Malaysia. A deeply patriotic woman… read analysis of Sheila’s Mother