Miss Lewis

Miss Lewis is one of the main characters of the short story “Buttony” by Fiona McFarlane, and the narrative focuses on her perspective on events.

In terms of outer characterisation, we know very little about her. Her age is only addressed once but not clearly: “Her ankles were still slim; she wasn’t so very old” (ll. 44-45). We also know she is not married, as she is referred to as Miss, a title that refers to unmarried women. It is also implied that she might not have a lot of money as she doesn’t wear expensive clothes: “The button was no longer limited by its cheap yellow plastic” (ll. 26-27)

Miss Lewis’ inner characterisation is central to the theme of the short story, and we can observe her thoughts throughout the narrative. At the start of the story, Miss Lewis is shown as the authority figure in the class. She particularly enjoys exerting her authority over Joseph, the most popular boy in class:

‘Close the drawer, Joseph,’ she said, because she found she liked nothing better, after admiring him, after giving him the opportunity to be admired, than to gently ...