A Little Princess

Captain Ralph Crewe is Sara’s “young, handsome, rich, petting father” (4). Light-hearted and kind, Captain Crewe dotes on his only child. A widower and a British army officer in India, Captain Crewe takes the advice of Lady Meredith and sends Sara to be educated in England at Miss Minchin’s seminary. Captain Crewe enjoys Sara’s uniqueness: her old-fashioned ideas, solemn thoughts, cleverness, love of reading, and vivid imagination. Captain Crewe calls his daughter his “Little Missus” and they are close companions.

In his sadness at being separated from his daughter, Captain Crewe buys Sara many things. As a “rash, innocent young man,” he wants Sara “to have everything she admired and everything he admired himself,” so they purchase a wardrobe of clothing “much too grand for a child of seven” (11). Later, he purchases an extraordinary 11th birthday gift for Sara: the Last Doll, with a wardrobe custom-designed in Paris. Impulsive and extravagant, Captain Crewe confesses to his daughter that he is “not a business man at all” (68). His trust of a childhood friend results in his investment in diamond mines. When Captain Crewe believes that his friend betrayed him, and he lost his fortune, he suddenly dies in India, seeming to leave no money for Sara. Eventually, Captain Crewe’s diamond-mine investment proves to be sound, and his friend gives Captain Crewe’s restored fortune to his daughter.

Miss Maria Minchin, the outwardly respectable—but inwardly ugly—schoolmistress, is the book’s primary antagonist. A tall woman with “large, cold, fishy eyes, and a large, cold, fishy smile” (8), Miss Minchin is primarily interested in wealth. However, she is neither clever nor imaginative; she immediately begins to resent Sara for her intelligence, her truthfulness, and her luxuries. Although Miss Minchin privately dislikes Sara, “she was far too worldly a woman to do or say anything which might make such a desirable pupil wish to leave her school” (34), as long as Captain Crewe is alive and rich. The moment Miss Minchin discovers that Sara’s father is dead and left her no money, she treats Sara with great cruelty. Miss Minchin likes to dominate others, and she is enraged by Sara’s unbroken spirit, independent thought, and constant politeness. Sara develops her mental life and imagination even more strongly in her effort to endure the trials devised by Miss Minchin. Miss Minchin finally gets her comeuppance when she learns that Sara’s fortune has been restored, and she will leave the seminary.

Miss Amelia Minchin is the younger sister of Miss Minchin. Miss Amelia is “fat and dumpy, and stood very much in awe of her sister” (15). Although Miss Amelia is better-natured than her sister, she never disobeys her. However, when the turnaround in Sara’s situation becomes known, Miss Amelia finally confronts her sister for making Sara work too hard and leaving her only half fed. Miss Amelia realizes that it would have been better for the school if she had not been so fearful of making her sister angry. Sara considered Miss Minchin “a hard-hearted, worldly woman” and Miss Amelia “a weak fool” (253).

Lavinia is the book’s other antagonist. When Sara first arrives at Miss Minchin’s seminary, the nearly 13-year-old Lavinia is immediately jealous of Sara’s elaborate clothing and her “show pupil” accomplishments. The “rather pretty” Lavinia was previously the best-dressed pupil. After Sara’s arrival, Miss Minchin places the elegantly dressed Sara at the head of the school line. Lavinia led the other students by dominating people and “making herself extremely disagreeable if the others did not follow her” (36). However, Sara is a natural leader whose empathy and generosity make her beloved. Lavinia most envies Sara’s storytelling power. Lavinia tells her friend Jessie that her mother says Sara’s way of “pretending things is silly” and that she will “grow up eccentric” (37). Lavinia derides Sara’s uniqueness, but she often cannot think of “a satisfactory reply when she was dealing with Sara […] the rest always seemed to be vaguely in sympathy with her opponent” (64). Lavinia is always spiteful and sarcastic.

Lavinia and Sara are frequently in conflict because of their different values. Lavinia maintains a rigid class hierarchy; for example, she tries to exclude Becky from the enjoyment of hearing Sara’s stories. When Sara is reduced to drudgery and no longer allowed to be a pupil, Lavinia takes Sara’s seat by Miss Minchin’s side in the schoolroom. Lavinia’s envy of Sara prompts her to inform Miss Minchin of Sara’s secret party in the attic and destroy the impoverished girls’ moment of joyfulness.

Ermengarde is one of the three most downtrodden girls at Miss Minchin’s seminary; Lottie and Becky are the others. The three girls are each befriended and helped by Sara. In turn, Sara’s kindness is rewarded when she experiences a terrible change in her circumstances. Sara’s “child heart might almost have broken with loneliness but for three people” (102): Ermengarde, Lottie, and Becky, who visit her in the attic room. Ermengarde struggles in class and is described as “a fat child who did not look as if she were in the least clever, but she had a good-naturedly pouting mouth” (24). She is awed by Sara’s fluency in French and Sara’s intelligence. When Ermengarde struggles through her French lesson, the other pupils laugh at her, but Sara feels compassion for her. Sara introduces herself to her and invites Ermengarde to meet her doll, Emily. Ermengarde becomes fascinated by Sara’s imaginative storytelling and asks if the girls can be best friends. Sara also offers to help with Ermengarde’s French lessons. Ermengarde has a clever father who speaks many languages and expects his daughter to quickly learn all the books he sends to her, which makes it even more difficult for her to accept her difficulties with academic work.

When Sara’s circumstances change, she initially assumes that Ermengarde no longer wants to speak to her. Ermengarde is bewildered and finally goes to Sara’s attic room, where they reconcile. Sara points out that Ermengarde’s kindness and loyalty are much more important than cleverness. Ermengarde serves as a foil to Sara, illuminating both Sara’s strengths—empathy and intelligence—and her weaknesses—pride and being overly sensitive when she believes her friends no longer want to talk to her because of her lowered status.

Lottie is the “baby” among the pupils of Miss Minchin’s seminary. The youngest student at four years of age, Lottie is accustomed to “being disdained and ordered out of the way by mature ladies aged ten and twelve” (37). Only Sara is motherly enough to help children up when they fall and to never push the little ones aside; instead, she invites them to tea parties where they can play with her doll, Emily.

Both Lottie and Sara lost their mothers as babies. In contrast to the polite Sara, Lottie learned that when she wanted anything, she could weep about having no mother, and people would pity her. Lottie was treated “like a favorite doll or a very spoiled pet monkey or lap-dog ever since the first hour of her life,” so she is initially a “very appalling little creature” (38). When Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia cannot persuade Lottie to stop crying, Sara offers to try. Sara calms her by sharing the story of losing her own mother and promising to act as Lottie’s adopted mother. After Sara becomes impoverished, Lottie cannot understand Sara’s alteration. Determined, Lottie finds her way to Sara’s attic room. In helping the shocked Lottie imagine the beauty of her attic room, Sara is also able to temporarily better appreciate it.

Becky is the forlorn scullery maid who is ordered about by everyone on the staff of Miss Minchin’s seminary. Although she is 14 years old, she is “so stunted in growth that she looked about twelve” (49). She is terrified of losing her meager wages, so she scrubs floors, cleans windows, and carries heavy containers of coal upstairs. Sara feels sorry for poor Becky, befriending the servant while Sara enjoys fortunate circumstances, buying her food, and entertaining her with stories. However, Becky’s situation previews Sara’s own future of hunger, exhaustion, and cruel treatment by Miss Minchin and the kitchen workers. When Sara loses her fortune, Becky still recognizes Sara’s valuable character. Becky continues to admiringly refer to Sara as a princess and volunteers to help her dress.

Sara’s imaginative storytelling of herself and Becky as prisoners in the Bastille helps the two girls survive in neighboring attic rooms. When Sara’s room is transformed with comforts, Sara shares her suppers and nice things with Becky. With the restoration of Sara’s fortune, Becky becomes Sara’s attendant, moving into Mr. Carrisford’s home to remain with her friend. Although a division by social class continues between the educated Sara, now a wealthy heiress, and the uneducated Becky, who must continue to work for her living, Becky’s life is significantly more comfortable than it would have been without Sara’s friendship.

The Carmichaels, whom Sara nicknames “the Large Family,” symbolize the love, prosperity, and comfort of a happy family. Orphaned, Sara misses a warm home life and longingly watches the joyful activities of the Carmichaels when she passes by their windows in the evening. One of the eight Carmichael children, Donald, intersects with Sara when he mistakes her for a “beggar girl,” shocking her into realizing how shabby her appearance has become. The well-meaning Donald insists on charitably giving her his sixpence, and Sara’s response indicates to Donald’s sisters, Janet and Nora, that she is too well bred to live on the streets. The Carmichael children become interested in Sara, whom they nickname “the-little-girl-who-is-not-a-beggar.”

The Carmichael father plays a key role as Mr. Carrisford’s lawyer; he searches for the lost child of Captain Crewe and then firmly opposes Miss Minchin’s attempts to threaten Sara. The “pretty, comfortable” (243) Carmichael mother is the maternal figure who comforts Sara and clarifies for her the events that led to her suffering.

Ram Dass is a sensitive, white-turbaned, native Indian man-servant employed by Mr. Carrisford. Sara refers to him as “a Lascar” (141), a term she learned in India that British officers used to refer to Indian servants; the term is associated with colonialism and considered derogatory today but quoted here because Sara’s use of it is a plot device that reveals her past in India and leads to the revelation of her identity. He first encounters Sara when they view the beautiful sunset from neighboring attic windows. They share a feeling of loneliness and homesickness for India. When Ram Dass captures his escaped monkey, he perceives the shabby desperateness of Sara’s lodging but also recognizes her true value: “By the mistress of the house—who is an evil woman—she is treated like a pariah; but she has the bearing of a child who is of the blood of kings!” (177). Ram Dass and Sara treat each other with courtesy and respect despite their external circumstances. Ram Dass makes himself her secret protector. He sees that Sara is not like other children: “The child is the little friend of all things” (177).

Ram Dass speaks about the child to his employer, Mr. Carrisford. They conceive of the plan to make Sara’s vision of transforming her attic room a reality. Ram Dass represents India as an exotic, romantic, magical place. His plan is “‘like a story from the ‘Arabian Nights’ […] It does not belong to the London fogs’” (180). He is described as “agile [and] soft-footed” (238), and he moves as if his feet “were of velvet” (179), enabling the plan to be executed. He persuades Sara to remain and talk to Mr. Carrisford when she returns the escaped monkey, allowing “the Magic” (237) to work and Sara’s real identity to be discovered.

Mr. Carrisford is the ill “Indian gentleman” who moves into the empty house next door to Miss Minchin’s seminary. He has no wife or children and appears to be “shattered in health and unhappy in mind” (138). Sara learns that Mr. Carrisford is an Englishman who lived in India and became ill with brain fever after he thought he lost his money, although his possessions were later restored to him. Sara is comforted to recognize furnishings from India being carried into Mr. Carrisford’s home and feels sympathetic toward the ill man because she imagines that he endured something similar to what her father experienced. She adopts him as her friend in her imagination and sends him kind thoughts through the wall. Unbeknownst to Sara, Mr. Carrisford is the mysterious, kind friend who pays for the suppers and comforts that Ram Dass brings into Sara’s attic room. Mr. Carrisford helps Sara out of despair because he cannot find the real daughter of Captain Crewe, whom he fears is suffering somewhere because of his mistakes. Mr. Carrisford thinks that Sara is only a nameless, unfairly treated servant girl.

Mr. Carrisford was the beloved school friend of Ralph Crewe who persuaded the captain to invest in diamond mines. He agonizes that Captain Crewe died believing that he ruined him. However, Mr. Carrisford was ill in the hospital at the time, and the fortune of the diamond mines was restored. A dream in which Crewe asks him the location of “the Little Missus” haunts him. Mr. Carrisford’s health is suffering because of his guilt over not having found Crewe’s child. He sends his lawyer, Mr. Carmichael, to try to find her so he can restore her fortune. He knows only that Mr. Crewe had a child whose mother was French, so he assumes she was sent to a Paris school.

Mr. Carrisford was the cause of Sara’s misfortunes and serves as the means of her restoration to the status of heiress. For Sara, Mr. Carrisford eventually becomes a substitute for her deceased father, providing similar care for her welfare and companionship. Mr. Carrisford’s guilt is assuaged, and his health improves as he has someone for whom to provide.