Character of Hester

Hester, Paul's mother, is the first character introduced in the story. Her attitude and desires
motivate Paul's actions in the story. She remains unnamed until the very end of the story.
Hester is described as physically beautiful. She hails from a wealthy family; however,
she "had no luck." From her perspective, having no luck has damned her to a life of struggle.
She has married a man who is also not lucky because he does not make enough money for her.
So, she is unable to maintain the standard of living to which she is accustomed. She feels she
does not really love her children, even though outsiders think "she is such a good mother."
The mother is constantly dissatisfied with her life because there is "never enough
money." It is symbolically reflected in the whispering of the walls "more money" throughout
the story. When the family has to take a taxi one day, the mother explains to Paul that they "are
the poor members of the family."
The mother proves herself irresponsible with money after she receives a sum of five
thousand pounds. She does not know that it is from her son's gambling wins. First, she is not
satisfied with one thousand pounds per year, so she requests the entire amount. Then, she
quickly spends it all on luxuries, making the house's whispers grow louder.
Near the end of the story, the mother does exhibit some care for her son. She has a bad
feeling about him and calls the nurse to check in. However, when she goes home, she finds him
manically riding his rocking horse. As her son dies, the mother learns that he was "lucky.