The Girl in His Shadow

As the novel’s protagonist, Nora is the unconventional and brilliant ward of Dr. Horace Croft. She was unofficially adopted by him at the age of eight after her family died of cholera. She is proud, and, according to Croft, a “great thinker,” and Harry Trimble calls her a woman who “thinks for herself” (116), which pleases her. She is a dynamic character whose evolution occurs as she interacts with Dr. Daniel Gibson and with his friend Harry, who first introduces the prospect of love and marriage. Nora, who is just 20, initially guards her role in Croft’s surgery and clinic from Daniel because she perceives him to be a threat to her autonomy. She assumes that he will be critical of her work, and at first, he proves her fears to be accurate. However, Nora’s view of Daniel softens when she learns how sensitive and kind he is with his patients. Meanwhile, Daniel thinks of her as a “new specimen” of woman and is fearful of her strange disposition.

Though Nora is unusual for her time, she develops certain conventional hopes for the future. Her longing to practice medicine in a legal, legitimate way sets her apart from other women, but her growing desire for love is far more mundane.