Characterisation of Dawn

Dawn is a single woman whose age is not mentioned in the short story. She works as an administrator for the “Hatbox Theatre Company”:

“All I do is payroll and endless futile bids for revenue funding” (ll. 50-51).

Her job does not seem to make her enthusiastic. On the contrary, the reader is given the impression that Dawn is rather bored by what she does.

She wants to adopt a child and, just like other couples, her first thought is that she wants to adopt a baby. However, the child-placement officer explains that there are no babies to be adopted, only children. Dawn’s reaction to the news can mean that she is rather superficial in her desire:

“We slumped back at the lack of babies, puffed up when she told us how rare and fortunate we were to be...