Donna Byrd

Outer characterisation

In “Mink” by Marina Warner, Donna’s outer characterisation reveals that she married a British man, but that she is probably has Italian origins. This is indicated by her maiden name “Sarto” and by the reference to her being “an exotic blow-in” (l. 7).

The way she is described from her daughter’s perspective suggests that she was an elegant woman, even though she was a stay-at-home wife and mother:

Even washing my father’s socks in greying suds, wearing the heavy-duty rubber gloves she’d always put on to protect her hands, she was an exotic blow-in, and she radiated the warm south through the wind-whipped fens where we lived. (ll. 5-8)

She also describes herself wearing the fur coat as resembling “ ‘Venus rising from the sea, Venus in furs!’ ” (l. 110). The fact that her husband also praises her beauty further confirms Donna is a beautiful, charming woman (ll. 70-77).

Inner characterisation

Donna’s inner characterisation is conveyed through her actions, her relationship with the other characters, and her development.

Actions and motives

Donna’s actions suggest that she is a dedicated housewife and mother, tending to both her husband’s and her daughters’ needs: “If the Sunday roast had been a leg of lamb, Donna’d set us up to mince any leftovers. We’d clamp the clunky steel mangle to the kitchen table…” (ll. 29-30).

Nevertheless, she is also a fashionable woman. She perhaps sees fashion as a way to escape the limitations of her life as a stay-at-home wife in the 1950s: “ ‘Now there is fox. Fox can be marvellous.’ ” (l. 16); “ ‘Sable comes from Russia,’ she went on, ‘like astrakhan. Russians are the Christian Diors of fur!’ ” (ll. 21-22).

She is so motivated to get...