Line #103 Characters/TheMarthaYears


1	!'''''The Martha Years - Characters'''''
2
3	!!Martha Morse
4	Laura's great grandmother and the daughter of a Scottish laird.
5
6	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: To Grisie at least. Averted with her brothers.
7	* {{Bookworm}}: From the third book onwards, thanks to Miss Crow's influence.
8	* ConstantlyCurious: Inquisitive about everything from wool dyeing to America. A large reason Martha disliked Miss Norrie was because she disapproved of Martha's curiosity and told her to stay quiet, while Miss Crow provides explanations and stories.
9	* CountryMouse: When visiting Perth in ''Beyond the Heather Hills''. Inverted when her city cousins move to Glen Caraid and can't keep up with Martha's energetic lifestyle.
10	* {{Determinator}}: Big time. At the end of ''Down to the Bonny Glen'' she runs over three miles to get help for a sick tenant and her parents can't believe she made it it such quick time.
11	* FatalFlaw: Thoughtlessness, as she admits herself. Her mother tells that if only she considered before acting she'd get into much less trouble.
12	* FieryRedHead: Controlling her temper is an ongoing theme in the series.
13	* HatesBeingAlone: Happy in anyone's company, whether it's her family, the servants, or local tenants. In the fourth book, she's miserable being left alone in Grisie's house and spends days searching for someone to talk to.
14	* LonelyRichKid: Hits this at the end of the series. Grisie has married, her brothers are away at school and the other children in the valley have started working to support their families.
15	* TheKlutz: Rather clumsy, especially in formal settings.
16	* MessyHair: Try as she might, Martha's curls will ''not'' stay tidy.
17	--> Mum said the ribbon hadn't been invented yet that could bind Martha's thick hair.
18	* [[{{MrImagination}} Miss Imagination]]: Loves making up stories and schemes - even if she gets a bit carried away. (Like persuading her cousins to sneak outside in the dead of night and eat fern seeds to turn themselves invisible).
19	* OutdoorsyGal: Increasingly frustrated that she's forced to stay inside instead of being out in the highlands.
20	--> Martha wished, as she had wished a thousand times in her life, that she could always live outside.
21	* PintSizedPowerHouse: One of the strongest and most energetic children in the valley, to the point of almost beating Lew - the blacksmith's son - in a footrace.
22	* PluckyGirl: Gutsy, outspoken and adventurous - much like a certain great-granddaughter of hers.
23	* QuirkyCurls: Has wild curly hair and a strong personality.
24	* RebelliousSpirit: Struggles with being a ProperLady which explains why she emigrated to America in the sequel series.
25	* SpoiledSweet: Down-to-earth and friendly despite her status, and loves helping the tenant farmers and household servants. When she first leaves Glencaraid she realizes she's not ''the'' lairds daughter but ''a'' laird's daughter - and berates herself for putting on airs.
26	* {{Tomboy}}: Loves playing with the boys and is disinterested in clothes and hairstyles. This carries into the next series when she tells Lew buying a fine dress would be wasted on her "common chicken feathers".
27	* UptownGirl: To Lew, as Martha is the daughter of a landowner and he's a craftsman. Although their romance happens off-page between the two series, the obstacles to them marrying are hinted at throughout the series.
28
29	!!Allan Morse (Father) and Margaret Morse (Mum)
30	Martha's parents, the laird of Glencaraid and his wife.
31
32	* BenevolentBoss: Allan treats his people well (to the point of walking out on important guests to help a sick tenant), and Margaret is known as a kind and friendly mistress.
33	* GoodParents: Understanding and fair with Martha, especially considering the time period.
34	* HappilyMarried: They're both miserable when the other goes away in the second book.
35	* NiceToTheWaiter: Notably familiar with their servants - something Martha discovers is not the norm.
36	* NonIdleRich: Margaret manages the household, while Allan runs Glencaraid's affairs and is recognised for pioneering new farming techniques.
37	* ThePatriarch: Allan of the Morse family, and of the whole of valley as the laird.
38	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Allan takes his responsibilities as laird seriously, and is popular among the villagers and farmers.
39	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Martha observes that her mother lightens up her sterner father.
40	* TheStoic: Allan can be rather serious and brooding.
41
42	!!Grisie Morse
43	Martha's beautiful older sister. She starts off as rather distant but grows closer to Martha as the series continues.
44
45	* [[{{AloofBigBrother}} Aloof Big Sister]]: Frequently irritated and impatient with Martha.
46	* AloofDarkHairedGirl: In early books at least - she relaxes after marrying Kenneth.
47	* DudeMagnet: Men flock around her "like moths to a flame."
48	* GirlyGirl: Unlike {{Tomboy}} Martha, Grisie enjoys needlework, sketching and dancing.
49	* HappilyMarried: To Kenneth by the fourth book.
50	* RegalRinglets: Has perfect spirals compared to Martha's wild curls.
51	* SlidingScaleOfBeauty: World Class Beauty - she's considered the most beautiful woman in the district and is more attractive than her cousins.
52
53	!!Alisdair, Robbie and Duncan Morse
54	Martha's three older brothers.
55
56	* {{Bookworm}}: Alisdair, who is always off reading and later decides he wants to be a lawyer.
57	* FieryRedHead: Robbie.
58	* FreudianTrio: Scholarly Alistair is the Superego, mischievous Robbie is the Id and thoughtful Duncan is the Ego.
59	* HotBlooded: Robbie, something he has in common with his younger sister.
60	* NiceGuy: Duncan is Martha's favourite brother and the sweetest of the three.
61
62	!!Cook
63	The Morse's cook at the Stone House.
64
65	* ApronMatron: The kitchen is her domain and she rules it proudly.
66	* BrutalHonesty: Brusque with everyone, from the kitchen maids to Allan Morse.
67	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Martha is amazed to discover Cook's real name is actually "Margery Ann" as no one refers to her as anything but Cook.
68	* GenreSavvy: Observes Martha and Grisie are more similar than they like to admit, and is the only one to notice Martha and Lew's blossoming friendship.
69	* IWasQuiteTheLooker: "Margery Ann" apparently had a lot of suitors back in the day, much to Martha's amusement.
70	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Comes across as terse and gruff, but is a softie underneath it all and adores Martha. She also dotes on "Hedgie", the kitchen hedgehog despite complaining about him constantly.
71	* MamaBear: Protective of Martha, including disliking how Miss Norrie her first governess treated her and getting emotional when Martha pretends to die while acting out Romeo and Juliet.
72	* OldMaid: By choice, she'll have you know!
73	* OldRetainer: She's been in the household since before the Morse children were born and is close to Martha in particular.
74	* SupremeChef: Acknowledged as the best cook in all of Glencaraid even if she doesn't make the fancy food they serve at Fairlie.
75
76	!!Auld Mary
77	A local wisewoman/healer who lives out on the moors.
78
79	* CoolOldLady: Has a mischievous sense of humour and fascinates children with her mysterious hut and stories.
80	* MentorArchetype: To Martha from the third book. Despite a laird's daughter not being an obvious choice in successor, Auld Mary recognises her as a kindred spirit and takes her on as an informal student.
81	--> Martha: ''"Will you teach me everything you ken? I want to ken everything about - everything! Herbs and dyes and cats and birthin' bairns and all the important things in the world."''
82	--> Auld Mary: ''[Laughing] "All the important things, eh? Ye and me, Mouse, we're cut from the same cloth."''
83	* TaughtByExperience: Never had a day of formal education but is the go-to person in the valley for medicine, wool dyeing and more. When Martha asks how she learned it all, she says she's made so many mistakes she eventually ran out of new ones to make.
84	* TheStoryteller: Known as the best storyteller in the county.
85
86
87	!!Miss Crow
88	Martha's governess who arrives in the third book.
89
90	* {{Bookworm}}: Her belongings consist almost entirely of books.
91	* BrainyBrunette: Proves to be a capable governess in all areas including literature, geography, needlework and composition.
92	* CoolTeacher: Much to Martha's delight she makes learning interesting, including encouraging her to write her own letters not just copying out words, acting out plays and telling stories about far-off America.
93	* OldMaid: At over 30 she'd be considered this, although the other characters don't mention it.
94	* OutdoorsyGal: In a more adult, lady-like way than Martha. She's introduced praising the views from Stone House and incorporates walking and exercise into her teaching.
95
96
97	!!Lewis Tucker
98	The son of the local blacksmith and Martha's future husband.
99
100	* AmazonChaser: Hinted that his feelings for Martha were developing along these lines. In the third book Martha challenges him to a footrace - he's widely known for being the fastest runner in the valley - and Lew is impressed and complimentary when she almost beats him. In the sequel series, he's fond of how feisty and opinionated she is.
101	* TheBlacksmith: In training.
102	* DeadpanSnarker: Has a dry sense of humour and enjoys teasing Martha.
103	* {{Determinator}}: Enough to match Martha seemingly. Between this series and the next, he dared to marry the laird's daughter, make the dangerous journey to America and set up a new life and business in Boston.
104	* [[{{ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe}} I Can't Believe A Girl Like You Would Notice Me]]: In the sequel series he admitted he felt like this regarding Martha, as he developed feelings but never considered courting her due to their difference in station.
105	--> Lew: "Us lads in the village used to jump at any chance to run errands for our fathers on her side o' the loch. Not a one of us ivver dreamt o' marryin' her though."
106	* InterClassRomance: With Martha between the two series. Although he's a skilled blacksmith, Martha is the daughter of a laird, and far wealthier and better educated than him. The books make it clear she's expected to marry another member of the land-owning class like her father and Grisie's husband. The difficulties in courting her are foreshadowed as early as the second book in Auld Mary's tale about the Laird's Lass who refused to marry an Earl and went for a blacksmith instead.
107	* NiceGuy: Takes care of little Hedgie, smuggles over craft supplies, and even gives Martha his own pocket knife to keep (despite being much poorer than the Morses).
108	--> "Martha had no doubt he'd do as she asked. Lew Tucker was the type of boy who'd walk through the tempest to help a friend."
109	* TheQuietOne: Along with his whole family. A local joke is that if two Tucker's speak on the same day the world will come to an end.

Context Characters / TheMarthaYears