The Birth House

The elderly midwife of Scots Bay, Miss Babineau (Miss B. for short) was born in Louisiana and has a Cajun accent. She is a traiteur, or healer, who has collected her decades of knowledge in the Willow Book, her midwife’s journal. Despite her superstitious and sometimes mystical beliefs, Miss B. is a devotee of the Virgin Mary. After an ancestor appeared to her in a dream, she traveled from Louisiana in search of her homeland in Acadie (or Acadia) and makes her home in Nova Scotia. She lives in a small house by the woods and cares for a white doe. Although the townspeople are suspicious of her and only visit when they need help, they also respect her tremendously. Miss B. trains Dora, hoping she will be her successor. On the night of Dora’s wedding, Miss B. disappears and is believed to have died. Nevertheless, she is evoked often throughout the rest of the novel, as Dora thinks of her frequently and recalls her advice.

Dr. Gilbert Thomas is an obstetrician who opens a new maternity hospital in Canning, near Scots Bay. Dr. Thomas is a firm believer in science as the answer to all things and is dismissive of traditional midwifery, even calling it dangerous. He is also something of a misogynist, believing that most ailments suffered by women are purely psychological and often cries for attention. He believes that women should be submissive and grateful to their men. He is so convinced that his convictions are right while Dora (and, by extension, all women) is wrong that he resorts to threats to try to silence her. It is implied that he is friends with Brady Ketch, who helped him kill Miss B.’s white doe, a final act of power over her memory.

Archer Bigelow is regarded by the young women of Scots Bay as the most eligible bachelor in town. Handsome, nearly 30 years old, and the son of the wealthy Widow Bigelow, he is chased by Grace Hutner and many of the other girls. Although he is able-bodied, he does not join the army, claiming to be a pacifist. He is Dora’s first kiss and eventually her husband. However, he is selfish and demanding and is constantly obsessing over investments and innovations that never pan out. He leaves Dora several times, and it is implied that he cheated on her with Grace. He eventually drowns while out fishing with his brother after Dora did not give him her caul for protection.

Archer’s older brother, Hart Bigelow is good friends with Dora’s brothers Albert and Borden. While working in the shipyards as a young man, Hart lost three fingers in an accident. Due to this injury, he cannot join his friends in the army. He and Dora become friends as he helps her around the house during Archer’s many absences. After his brother’s death, Hart admits to Dora that he let Archer drown to save her from her unhappy marriage. He advises Dora to escape to Boston when Dr. Thomas accuses her of causing Mrs. Ketch’s death. When she returns, she and Hart become lovers, though they never marry.

The mother of Archer and Hart, Simone Bigelow is known as the Widow Bigelow because she married and lost two Bigelow men shortly after marriage. This leads to the idea of the “Bigelow Curse,” which is believed to cause all Bigelow men to die young. She speaks French and is friends with Miss B., who also speaks it. As the wealthiest person in town, she is often condescending to Dora, who does not come from a wealthy family, although she is the one who initially pushes Dora to marry Archer. She spoils her sons, especially Archer, and is an early supporter of Dr. Thomas. She is scandalized when Dora refuses to marry Hart.

Bertine Tupper becomes one of Dora’s closest friends and is the founder of the Occasional Knitters Society. She is married to Hardy Tupper, the blacksmith, and is a mother of three. She is one of the “women from away,” women who married men from Scots Bay and moved there. Outspoken and strong, Bertine suffers no fools and is a staunch supporter of Miss B. and midwifery. She takes care of Wrennie while Dora is in Boston and corresponds with Dora regularly.

Another of the women from away and an original member of the Occasional Knitters Society, Mabel is married to Porter Thorpe and is a mother of three, after Dora assists in the birth of her daughter. She is close friends with the other women from away and eventually Dora as well. She is a supporter of Miss B. and midwifery.

Another woman from away and an original member of the Occasional Knitters Society, Sadie is married to Wes Loomer and is a mother of three, after Dora delivers her son on the day of Dora’s wedding. She is a supporter of Miss B. and midwifery, although her husband buys Mother’s Share insurance from Dr. Thomas. Nevertheless, Dora delivers her baby when Dr. Thomas is too late in arriving. Since a midwife delivered her baby, Dr. Thomas refuses to provide her postpartum care.

The second wife of Laird Jessup, Ginny is another woman from away. She is the first woman from Scots Bay to give birth in the Canning Maternity Home, although she does not remember the experience due to having been administered Twilight Sleep. She is a supporter of Miss B. and midwifery, but her husband is not. She suffers postpartum depression after the birth of her son until Dora offers to help her. She is the fifth member of the Occasional Knitters Society. However, she gets Dora in trouble when she tells her husband about the tea with mitts Dora gave the women to prevent pregnancy; her husband then tells Dr. Thomas. Still, she bands together with the other women from away to support Dora when she is forced to flee. Dora returns in time to save Ginny from dangerous swelling during her second pregnancy and to deliver her second child. She is the first woman to stay with Dora in what will become the birth house.

Dora’s father, Judah Rare is a shipbuilder by trade and known for his craftsmanship, although the industry is dying. He builds Dora the house on Spider Hill that will eventually become the birth house. A superstitious man, he makes Dora burn all her novels after reading a medical journal saying that they make young ladies too passionate. He also grows uncomfortable with having Dora in a small house with six brothers after she reaches sexual maturity, which distances Dora from him. He has an unusually close and loving relationship with his wife, which Dora admires.

Dora’s mother, Mrs. Rare is a practical woman who often acts as a voice of conservative logic in her life. She initially encourages Dora to embrace the freedom of a midwife but later changes her mind and pushes her to marry Archer. She has an unusually close and loving relationship with her husband, which Dora admires.

Dora’s older brother by one year, Charlie is her closest childhood friend. He is too young to join the army with his brothers but moves to Boston to help the victims of the Halifax Explosion. There, he meets and falls in love with Maxine Cabott, moving into her house. Dora stays with them when she is in Boston. He later marries Max and comes to visit Dora every year.

A wealthy suffragette who lives in Boston, Maxine “Max” Cabott is a strong, independent woman who teaches Dora how to be the same. She is a vocal proponent of women’s suffrage and women’s rights in general. She welcomes artists into her house and supports them in Boston. Her house is next to a theater and brothel. She encourages Dora to reclaim her maiden name. She is Charlie’s lover and, later, wife.

Aunt Fran is the sister of Dora’s mother and one of the wealthiest women in Scots Bay, thanks to her marriage to Uncle Irwin. She has one daughter, Precious, and is the head of the White Rose Temperance Society. She is superstitious of Miss B. and a vocal supporter of Dr. Thomas. However, she still visits Miss B. to get help when she worries that her affair with Reverend Norton might have produced a pregnancy. Although she is easily swayed by medical journal and Dr. Thomas, Aunt Fran is not without a heart and acts to protect Dora on at least one occasion.