Character Profile: Helen Nichols

Character Profile of Helen Nichols

Helen Nichols has spent 60 years living in the house where she was born. Neither she nor the house has changed much. The furniture is from her childhood, reupholstered many times over. Helen wears plainly styled dresses that she makes and patches herself.

Helen is 5’11”, broad shouldered and has prominent frown lines. Her eyes are watery blue and often bloodshot from allergies. She never wears makeup and her skin reflects the grey of her hair and her dresses.

Helen’s mother died when she was ten leaving her with the responsibility of raising her two siblings. She blames her father for her “miserable” childhood and distrusts men. She resents that her siblings moved on and prospered after she sacrificed having a life to take care of them.

She pushes people away that try to befriend her – she suspects ulterior motives. She sees people as basically bad at heart. She is a pessimist. She sees money as the “root of all evil”, yet she secretly longs for it and the freedom in might give her.

She has appointed herself to watch over her niece, Maddie, while her parents travel abroad. She tries to keep Maddie from disappointments in life by pointing out all the pitfalls of her “wild schemes” instead of supporting her plans, yet she wishes she had Maddie’s courage to try things. It scares her to acknowledge the side of herself that wants to share Maddie’s adventures.