Bessie is Jane’s childhood nursemaid; she’s not exactly perfect, because she has a hot temper and behaves pretty inconsistently to Jane - sometimes bringing her treats, sometimes punishing her for nothing at all, sometimes forgetting her entirely for a bit, but she’s the closest person to Jane during her childhood. For not a very important character Bessie is developed; we see that she’s compassion, impatience, temper, and affection for Jane. Describing this character we can easily see that the idea of class status doesn’t necessarily have a direct relationship to importance or complexity in the book; the lady of the house might be a flat, annoying character, while her maid could be the exciting one.
Bessie Lee in the Essays
Author: Teresa Nelson