The Fat Girl (Characters)

Characters

Carrie

Carrie is Louise’s college friend and roommate. She has an unhappy home life — her parents fight and will likely divorce — and she is prone to fits of depression. Carrie urges Louise to go on a diet, and she does everything in her power to help Louise. She proves to be a compassionate and understanding friend.

Joan

Joan is one of Louise’s high school friends.

Louise

Louise is the protagonist of the story. As a young girl, she gains weight and remains overweight until college. Under pressure from her mother, Louise soon develops the habit of eating secretly, a habit that she considers to be “insular and destructive.”

At college, Louise becomes good friends with her roommate, Carrie. With Carrie’s support, Louise sheds seventy pounds in her senior year in college. Yet with the weight loss, Louise feels like she is shedding more than fat — she is losing part of who she is.

Louise maintains her new body for several years, long enough to marry a young lawyer and have a baby. The emptiness of her life prompts Louise to overeat again. This time, however, she does not eat in secret. She accepts — and wants Richard to accept — that she is a fat girl. Soon, she has regained much of the weight she lost years ago. Even though this means she may lose Richard, she feels she has regained her identity.

Louise’s Father

Louise’s father is an affectionate, tolerant man. He accepts her for who she is. He defends Louise and argues with her mother about what she should be allowed to eat.

Louise’s Mother

Louise’s mother is the first person who warns Louise about her weight. She believes that her daughter needs to eat less than her brother and father in order to stay thin. A slender, attractive woman, Louise’s mother puts a lot of emphasis on physical appearance. When Louise finally loses all the weight, she calls her daughter beautiful.

Marjorie

Marjorie is one of Louise’s high school friends.

Richard

Richard is Louise’s husband. He is a young, energetic lawyer who works in Louise’s father’s firm. He wants the finer things in life: a big house, a boat, vacations abroad, and a beautiful wife.

Richard is unaware of his wife’s past struggles with her weight. When she tries to share her fears with him, he is unable to empathize with her; he only sees what he wants to see. As Louise gains weight, he criticizes her and loses sexual interest. He volunteers to go on a diet with her, but Louise doesn’t feel that he truly loves her. At the end of the story, Louise is certain that Richard will soon leave her.