The Moffats

Ten-year-old Jane Moffat is a central character in the novel. Sometimes called Janey, she lives with her three siblings and widowed mother in the fictional town of Cranbury, Connecticut. Throughout the novel, Jane slowly matures as she learns lessons through her everyday life experiences, but her character is relatively flat.

The novel portrays Jane as a highly imaginative person who often has happy or dark fantasies and a rich inner world. The author highlights how Jane’s imagination is so vivid that it sometimes untethers her from reality. For example, in one scene, Jane plays with her doll, Hildegarde, and pretends she’s flying like a plane. When she lets go of Hildegard, she’s surprised that the doll falls and breaks, since it was “flying.”

Jane is naive and innocent about the world, and she earnestly tries to follow the rules as she understands them. Her intense imagination and lack of knowledge sometimes lead to comical misunderstandings, such as when she thinks the police chief will arrest her for imitating Mr. Pennypepper. Jane’s fearful nature makes the thought of moving especially difficult, as she worries about the uncertainty of where her family will live. Her daydreams about becoming a “match girl” (like in Hans Christian Anderson’s story) show that, like most kids, she’s impressionable, and she strongly relates to Hans Christian Anderson’s character despite the many differences between their lives.

As a family member, Jane is supportive and kind to her siblings. She particularly looks up to her big sister, Sylvie, and admires her hair, talented personality, and grown-up demeanor. As one of the younger children, Jane can be helpful but has less responsibility than Joe and Sylvie. While Jane likes to contribute to the family, she’s still learning how to focus and do grown-up tasks. For instance, when she has to sweep the floors, she tries to read her book at the same time.

Teenager Sylvie Moffat lives with her widowed mother and three siblings in Cranbury, Connecticut. She’s the eldest Moffat child and is a minor character in the novel. Sylvie is a kind and responsible girl who carries out her responsibilities and looks out for her younger siblings. The author describes how she helps Mama run the household when Rufus is sick, acting as the “kitchen manager.” Being the eldest, Sylvie participates in many activities that the other kids don’t, such as acting in plays and attending summer camp. Although she’s older than the other kids, Sylvie is still invested in many of the same things. For example, she happily participates in making a “ghost” to scare Peter Frost.

The youngest child in the Moffat family, Rufus, lives with Mama and his three older siblings in Cranbury, Connecticut. Rufus is a central but flat character in the novel. Being only five years old at the beginning of the novel, Rufus only remembers living at the yellow house, and their move is particularly strange and frightening for him; however, he follows his elder siblings’ example and accepts the situation.

The novel depicts Rufus as a spirited young boy who loves to play and be active. For instance, he struggles to stay clean in his Sunday clothes because he desperately wants to play outside and often gets dirty without even trying. While Rufus is playful, he’s obedient and interested in becoming more grown-up, like his older siblings. This makes Rufus excited to attend school, like Jane, Joe, and Sylvie do: “Yes, even Rufus felt a slight impulse to run home and play as he used to. Play what? he asked himself. Mud pies? he asked himself sarcastically. Pooh! He was too old for all that business now. He was going to school” (42). Rufus’s enthusiasm for learning and growing up prompts him to feel responsible for Hughie Pudge, his immature classmate who doesn’t want to go to school.

Rufus is unusually perceptive and mature for his age; he even thinks ahead to the kind of work he might do as an adult, and he often says he would like to be a train engineer or trolley driver: “‘I may be a motorman when I grow up,’ he said. ‘And I’d like to see how they run’” (186). Rufus’s admiration for his older siblings is evident many times in the story. For instance, he eagerly contributes to their ghost project by using up his tooth collection.

The teenage boy Joe is one of the older Moffat children. He lives with Mama and his three siblings in Cranbury, Connecticut. Joe is a secondary character in the novel but still exhibits growth as he learns from some challenging experiences. He’s an earnest and responsible boy who does some of the more traditionally masculine chores like fueling the fire, sifting the ashes, and buying coal from the barge.

Joe knows how to whittle wood, but he hates dancing lessons at Miss Chichester’s. The author highlights Joe’s shyness in her chapter on his dancing, explaining that he prefers to stand behind the piano, turning pages for the piano player, rather than learn new dances. Joe is learning how to handle certain adult responsibilities. For instance, when Mama trusts him with $5, he nearly loses it, forgetting that he left it on the mantel. In another chapter, he tries to drive a horse and wagon on his own but gets turned around and causes the wagon’s driver to fall off. Joe has a humble nature and acknowledges his mistakes, making him a likable character.

A minor and flat character in the novel, Peter Frost is one of the Moffat family’s local neighbors. He’s a terrible bully who loves to provoke and humiliate others. For instance, he intentionally startles Rufus so that he falls into a puddle, and he pulls Sylvie’s hair. He tricks Jane into believing that she could be arrested, causing her to worry and hide from the police officer for hours. The Moffat children greatly resent Peter’s rude behavior, making him their nemesis. Peter’s arrogance is apparent in his reaction to the Moffats’ ghost story: He dismisses their tale about a ghost living in their attic. His subsequent terrified reaction to the “ghost” highlights his immaturity and cowardice.

,Another minor and flat character in the novel, Hughie Pudge is five years old and the Moffat children know him from their dance class and Rufus’s kindergarten class. Hughie is a stubborn and immature boy who wants to stay at home and never go to school. His hatred of school causes him to run away from class, worrying young Rufus. Hughie’s naivety prompts him to board a freight train, not understanding that it will move away on the track, and in doing so, he takes Rufus on a great misadventure out of town.

Another minor, flat character in the novel is Police Chief Mulligan. He lives on New Dollar Street, the same road on which the Moffat family lives. The pictures portray him as a tall, heavy-set man in a police uniform, with a mustache and holding a baton. This makes him look intimidating. However, as Jane discovers, he’s a kind-hearted person who wants to help the neighborhood. Chief Mulligan’s friendliness is clear from his reaction to Jane’s story. Instead of scolding her for hiding in the baker’s bread bin, he simply laughs and assures Jane that he’s there to protect her. Chief Mulligan’s formal salute to Jane shows his playful personality and desire to reassure her worries.