The River Between Us

While Tilly is the narrator of the story, Delphine is the main character. From the moment she steps off the steamboat in Grand Tower, Delphine commands attention. The way she dresses, does her hair, and speaks is designed to draw the spotlight. Tilly says, “Evidently, the world was her stage” (31). Although at first it seems that loving to perform is simply part of Delphine’s personality, she later reveals that playing a role is a necessary part of her survival. In New Orleans, Delphine was brought up for the sole purpose of presenting herself in a way that would attract a white man to protect and provide for her. This is what Calinda means when she says Delphine “is meant for men” (78). However, when the war forces Delphine out of New Orleans, she must perform the part of the shipwrecked, white southern belle so that no one will discern her lineage. In fact, performance for survival is so engrained in Delphine’s character that she even pretends her own son is actually Tilly’s in order to protect him from racial prejudice. Delphine’s New Orleans dialect, sprinkled with French words and phrases, reflects her upbringing in the city, and her ability to speak two languages is a product of her higher level of education.

Delphine is a foil to Tilly in many ways. Delphine is talkative and bold, while Tilly is quiet and modest. Delphine is rich and materialistic, but Tilly is poor and frugal. Despite Delphine’s lack of skills in domestic work and manual labor, she is determined, worldly-wise, and a hard worker when the situation requires it. Tilly is helpless in her fear of the train station and the vast city of Cairo, but Delphine knows exactly what to do and leads their expedition to Noah, undeterred by the city or the lack of supplies for the soldiers. Despite nursing the Union soldiers, Delphine unashamedly continues to support the Confederate Army. This stems from her deeply rooted pride in her heritage and her need to cling to the security of her lifestyle in New Orleans, which will be destroyed if the North wins the war.

Delphine is a round character who is richly developed with a variety of personality traits. However, she remains largely unchanged throughout the course of the book. Her backstory reveals greater depth, but she remains the same bold, flashy, talkative woman who was introduced at the beginning of the novel. Even on her deathbed, she continues to be materialistic and focused on maintaining her physical appearance; she is surrounded by possessions, wears rings on her fingers, and continues to have her hair curled in ringlets. The portrait of her father hangs above her bed wherever she goes, demonstrating her unchanging ties to her family’s identity and her heritage.

In the first half of the book, Noah is a flat character, characterized mostly as Tilly’s brother, Mama’s favorite child, and Delphine’s would-be lover. He has few lines and spends his time working, drilling with other Union-supporting boys, or hanging around Delphine. Delphine’s initial effect on him is similar to the way she transforms Mama and Tilly; she makes him bolder and more talkative. On the first morning Delphine sits with the family, Noah is uncommonly expressive, making Tilly sarcastically wonder if he plans on “running for office” (38). He also finds the courage to ask Delphine to dance on the showboat after his self-confidence rises through his interactions with her.

Most of Noah’s character development occurs after he leaves Grand Tower to join the Union Army. Though Noah is typically stoic and quiet, he cries when he sees Tilly and Delphine enter the hospital tent, revealing his love for his sister and his longing for home. However, he continues to fight. Before the Battle of Belmont, Noah is still presented as a young boy peering out of his too-large uniform. When he returns, missing his arm, Tilly sees that “the boy was gone” (105). When he returns to Grand Tower, he fulfills his place as the man of the house. Although before the war he was restless and antsy to leave home, he gathers his sisters to him after the loss of their parents and returns to the house, where he continues to reside into his old age.

Cass is Noah and Tilly’s 12-year-old sister. Tilly directly characterizes her as small and thin, noting, “She was only twelve and looked ten […] not much more than breath and britches” (20). Cass has the gift of prophecy and spends most of her days staring at the river, where she sees the ghosts of those who previously drowned—or soon will—in the river. Her visions add a level of tension and spookiness to the story, especially when her visions foreshadow the Battle of Belmont and Noah’s amputation.

Cass’s character arc is short-lived. Calinda impacts her in a way that parallels Delphine’s influence upon Tilly, and Cass becomes animated around Calinda. She assists Calinda with foraging and selling pralines, which prevents her from having time to mourn her visions. Calinda and Delphine also consider Cass’s supernatural abilities a gift, and Calinda and Cass can bond over their shared abilities. However, Cass becomes withdrawn and haunted again when she witnesses their mother’s death by suicide while Tilly is in Cairo. When Tilly returns home, she sees that “it was the old Cass before Calinda – whey-faced and wan. […] Her eyes were big and haunted in their former way” (107). Ultimately, Cass cannot overcome the fear of her visions and the trauma of her life’s tragedies and loses the will to live after Calinda leaves Grand Tower.

Calinda is a round and static character. While the depth of her personality is revealed slowly, she remains unchanged by the events that occur. Calinda is introduced in Delphine’s shadow: “I saw this other one in silhouette at first. She was narrower, darker, shrouded in a long black cloak” (30). She remains in Delphine’s shadow for most of the book. Her skin tone, quiet, demure attitude, and general lack of frills in contrast to Delphine’s extravagance lead Tilly to believe that Calinda is enslaved by Delphine. Calinda rises to the occasion and takes charge of the Pruitt family when Mama falls apart.

Calinda is practical, skillful, and industrious. She forages in the woods around the house for herbs and medicines, cooks flavorful meals for the whole family, and earns money by selling pralines at the docks. When Mama sends Tilly to Cairo for Noah, Calinda organizes the trip for them and prepares food and medicine for the soldiers. In Tilly’s absence, Calinda takes care of the house and Cass. After the war, Calinda is presumed to have used her supernatural gifts to create an entirely new life for herself in California, where she anticipates being able to pass as Spanish. Though she is reserved and reveals little about her inner life, Calinda greatly misses the culture of New Orleans, as her tears reveal after she dances the calinda on the showboat. Calinda exhibits great strength of character and presence of mind in the way she lives and cares for the people around her. Tilly believes that Calinda’s decision to leave Grand Tower was to protect Delphine: “I expect she thought people would put two and two together, and it would give Delphine away” (112). Like Tilly, Calinda always shows concern for those around her and prioritizes helping those she loves.

Mama’s character changes the most drastically in the course of the novel. Before Noah leaves for war, Mama is a strong, independent single mother. She manages to keep their family intact, although she relies heavily upon Tilly to do so. Mama lives in poverty and retains a sense of pride in her family. As Tilly says, “She didn’t want people talking behind our backs. She had her pride, though she said herself that pride could hollow you out” (27). Delphine’s confidence spreads to Mama as it does to Tilly. Mama says, “That Delphine don’t lack confidence in herself. I’ll give her that. I believe a little has wore off on me. She put some starch in my spine” (62). Delphine softens Mama’s character; Tilly sees her Mama rest and seem hopeful for the first time in years after the visitors arrive and Calinda’s help eases her household labor.

However, Mama begins to unravel after Noah leaves. She always feared for him and did everything she could to keep him home, worrying that he would disappear as their Paw did. When Noah leaves, she becomes distant, but she continues to carry on. However, after the news reaches Grand Tower that many soldiers are sick, something within her breaks. Tilly can hardly recognize Mama, calling her a “heartless stranger” (76). Tilly realizes that Mama has “been whittled to madness by her fear” (77). After she commands Tilly to find Noah and bring him back, Mama slips into a completely unresponsive state and stays in bed. The depth of her suffering is demonstrated when she jumps into the river after the coffin is delivered, assuming that her son is dead, without even checking to see who is in the coffin. Mama is a dynamic character who changes significantly in response to the events of the story.

Dr. Hutchings is a static character who remains good and steady throughout the story. His core desire to help people is evident in his decision to close his Grand Tower office to doctor soldiers in Cairo and his subsequent choice to join the army to continue helping those in need. He is necessary in moving the plot forward, as he provides Tilly and Delphine with a place to live and passes into the military camp where Noah is stationed. His quiet courtship of Tilly is overshadowed by his role in amputating Noah’s arm and countless other soldiers’ limbs. In his old age, Dr. Hutchings remains courteous and dignified. He serves as a role model to Howard’s dad, who also thinks of joining the army as a doctor.