Brooklyn

by

Colm Tóibín

Diana Character Analysis

One of Eilis’s fellow residents in Mrs. Kehoe’s house, Diana is a young woman whose mother is Irish, though she herself has an American accent. Like Patty, Diana is “man-mad,” which annoys Miss McAdam, Sheila Heffernan, and Mrs. Kehoe. At first, Diana and Patty try to make friends with Eilis, but Eilis chooses not to go out with them and their friends—a decision she eventually regrets because it aligns her with Miss McAdam and Sheila.
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Diana Character Timeline in Brooklyn

The timeline below shows where the character Diana appears in Brooklyn. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Two
Time and Adaptability Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Passivity Theme Icon
...New York and, like Eilis, works in a department store in Brooklyn. There is also Diana, who lives in the basement and is Irish but speaks with an American accent. Both... (full context)
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
On her first two weekends in Brooklyn, Patty and Diana invite Eilis to go out with them, but she refuses because she hasn’t been paid... (full context)
Time and Adaptability Theme Icon
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
...work, wanting to avoid the other women in the kitchen, since she’s already tired of Diana and Patty giving her advice about living in America. As she walks to work, she... (full context)
Part Three
Time and Adaptability Theme Icon
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
...weekly dance at the church, saying that it will be open to everyone. This excites Diana and Patty, but Mrs. Kehoe worries that too many Italian men will start attending the... (full context)
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
At first, the church is empty, but Patty and Diana soon arrive with their friends and the music begins to pick up. When they enter,... (full context)
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
...McAdam and Sheila Heffernan aren’t speaking to her. She wishes she could ask Patty and Diana if she could go to the dance with them, but they don’t invite her and... (full context)
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
...that there’s a new boarder living in her old room. Her name is Dolores, and Diana and Miss McAdam come to Eilis’s door that night to talk about her. Though Eilis... (full context)
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
...with Patty, who waves her over. Responding to this, she walks over to Patty and Diana’s group, and she and Patty go to the bathroom together. Patty tells her that she... (full context)
Immigration, Social Status, and Reputation Theme Icon
...tells the rest of the women that Tony is Italian, trying to sooth Patty and Diana’s discomfort with the fact that none of their friends have heard of him. Hearing this,... (full context)
Time and Adaptability Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Passivity Theme Icon
...Eilis and Tony stake out a spot and begin to take off their clothes. Thankfully, Diana has already informed Eilis that people in America don’t change on the beach like they... (full context)
Time and Adaptability Theme Icon
Communication, Hidden Emotion, and Secrecy Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Passivity Theme Icon
...the kitchen. After Mrs. Kehoe leaves, Patty wonders why she’s in a bad mood, and Diana mischievously says that she thinks she knows, though she adds that she “heard nothing.” When... (full context)