Winnie Character Analysis in A Handful of Dust

Winnie is Milly’s eight-year-old daughter. Brought along against Tony Last’s will on his and Milly’s weekend in Brighton, she threatens to derail the whole staged premise of an adulterous tryst. A relentless brat, her very vocal whining throughout the weekend makes Tony miserable at the time, but the unwanted attention it draws turns out to save him from Brenda’s extortion attempt by rendering the evidence of his “adultery” useless.

Winnie Character Timeline in A Handful of Dust

The timeline below shows where the character Winnie appears in A Handful of Dust. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...stage his infidelity. Tony unambiguously refuses Milly’s suggestion that she bring along her young daughter, Winnie. Nevertheless, after Tony passes a sleepless night wondering where he went wrong in his marriage,... (full context)

Nothing about the weekend at the seaside hotel goes according to plan: the unshakeable brat Winnie’s presence confuses the hotel staff and jeopardizes the whole premise of a supposed illicit getaway,... (full context)

...along to his friend’s party, to the displeasure of his nagging wife. The next day, Winnie makes Tony buy her breakfast, but the detectives intrude to remind him that he needs... (full context)

...come to grief…” Tony returns and tells Reggie that Brenda will not get a cent: Winnie’s presence throughout the whole weekend at Brighton proves his fidelity. He announces his plan to... (full context)

...the characters and events throughout the novel get nightmarishly refracted and redistributed at random. Reggie, Winnie, the Hetton butler, Mrs. Rattery, and others all appear before him in a terrifying phantasmagoria.... (full context)