Character Relationship Map: Tish

Characters

• Miss Letitia 'Tish' Carberry (played by Marjorie Main) — protagonist

  Tish is a forceful, energetic woman who often tries to manage the lives of her nephew and friends, despite insisting she has stopped giving orders. When a fishing trip leaves the women stranded, she t...

• Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts) (played by Zasu Pitts) — supporting

  Aggie is one of Tish's friends and companions, joining her and Lizzie on their adventures and teasing Tish about her mishaps and habit of giving advice. She is shocked to learn from Cora's letter that...

• Lizzie Wilkins (played by Aline MacMahon) — supporting

  Lizzie is one of Tish's friends, part of the group that shares outings and household discussions with her and Aggie. She joins the women during the fishing trip that leaves them stranded, and takes pa...

• Cora Edwards Bowser (played by Susan Peters) — supporting

  Cora is the woman whose death in Toronto, shortly after giving birth to a baby boy, brings the central family secret to light. In a letter she leaves behind, she explains that the child is Charlie's....

• Charles 'Charlie' Sands, Tish's Nephew (played by Lee Bowman) — supporting

  Charlie is Tish's nephew and is married to Kit; the women describe his marriage as happy. After Cora dies giving birth, her letter reveals that the infant is his son. Tish and her friends decide not t...

• Katherine 'Kit' Bowser Sands (played by Virginia Grey) — supporting

  Kit is Charlie's wife, and the women discuss their happy marriage while considering whether he might be attracted to someone else. When they learn that Charlie has a child with Cora, Tish and her frie...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Charles 'Charlie' Sands, Tish's Nephew → Cora Edwards Bowser (Family Child's Father) — Cora's letter reveals that Charlie fathered her baby, a secret Tish and Aggie choose to keep from him.

  Cora's letter says that the baby boy she gave birth to is Charlie's.

• Charles 'Charlie' Sands, Tish's Nephew → Katherine 'Kit' Bowser Sands (Family Husband And Wife) — Their apparently happy marriage is the reason Tish and Aggie decide not to tell Charlie about his child.

  The plot states that Charlie is married to Kit and describes their marriage as happy.

• Miss Letitia 'Tish' Carberry → Charles 'Charlie' Sands, Tish's Nephew (Family Aunt And Nephew) — Tish's concern for Charlie shapes her decision to conceal the baby's parentage from him.

  The plot identifies Charlie as Tish's nephew.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Miss Letitia 'Tish' Carberry → Katherine 'Kit' Bowser Sands (Narrative Protective Concealment) — Tish's effort to protect Kit's marriage leads her to conceal the baby's parentage, though the plot does not state that Kit knows about the secret.

  Tish and Aggie decide not to tell Charlie about the baby, believing the truth could hurt his marriage to Kit.

• Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts) → Lizzie Wilkins (Social Friends And Co-Carers) — Aggie and Lizzie are included in the women's shared effort to care for the baby.

  The plot describes both as Tish's friends and says the women resolve to raise the baby together.

• Miss Letitia 'Tish' Carberry → Lizzie Wilkins (Social Friends) — Lizzie is part of Tish's circle and shares in the group's decision to care for the infant.

  The plot identifies Lizzie as one of Tish's friends and says the women resolve to raise the baby together.

• Miss Letitia 'Tish' Carberry → Aggie Pilkington (as ZaSu Pitts) (Social Friends And Co-Conspirators) — Aggie joins Tish in keeping the baby's parentage secret and helping raise him.

  The plot describes Aggie as Tish's friend; after learning the baby's parentage, they decide together not to tell Charlie.

• Cora Edwards Bowser → Miss Letitia 'Tish' Carberry (Narrative Posthumous Revelation) — Cora's letter gives Tish the information that drives the central secret and the decision to raise the baby.

  After Cora dies giving birth, her letter reveals to Tish that the baby is Charlie's.

Story Analysis

A forceful woman and her friends take responsibility for a baby while concealing his parentage to protect a marriage.

Plot Progression

1. Tish and Her Friends — Tish's friends tease her for managing their affairs and offering advice. On a fishing outing, they become stranded when the boat has no oars and its motor will not start.
2. Marriage and Household Talk — The women discuss Charlie's marriage to Kit and speculate about his possible attraction to someone else. Tish continues giving opinions, while her friends resist her schemes.
3. Cora's Letter — News arrives that Cora has died giving birth to a boy. Her letter reveals that Charlie is the child's father, shocking Tish and Aggie.
4. A Secret Family Responsibility — Tish and Aggie choose to keep the truth from Charlie because they fear it could harm his marriage to Kit. Tish refuses adoption, and the women agree to raise the baby together.
5. Care Without Disclosure — The infant becomes the center of the women's lives as they take on the responsibility of raising him. The available account ends with their secret still unresolved.