Characters

The main character in Virginia Woolf’s short story “The Legacy” is Gilbert Clandon. Gilbert is a self-absorbed, domineering man who is too focused on his business affairs to pay attention to his wife’s needs.

Other important characters are Angela, Sissy Miller, and B.M. Angela is Gilbert’s wife who committed suicide. Gilbert reads her diary after her death and finds out about her secret affair. B.M. is the mysterious man that Gilbert reads about in Angela’s diary. Sissy Miller is Angela’s secretary and close friend.

You can read a full characterization of Gilbert as well as a presentation of the other characters in the following pages.

Extract

Here, you can read an extract from our study guide:

When it comes to his marriage, Gilbert appears to appreciate his wife’s beauty and treats her as a symbol of his success. For example, Gilbert mentions that he often compared Angela to other women, concluding that she was the “loveliest”, which made him feel proud to be her husband...