The Downstairs Girl

Deceptively frail-looking, Old Gin is Jo Kuan’s strong and heroic grandfather who proves to be her moral compass in the course of the novel. Through Jo’s youthful eyes, Old Gin, who is in his sixties, can appear timid and sometimes too-passive. However, as the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that Old Gin is courageous in a quiet, dignified way.

He also symbolizes the ideal parent in the novel. When he witnesses a cruel display of segregation on the streetcar that he and Jo take to work every day, he protests by refusing to sit in either the white or colored sections of the streetcar the next time. Avoiding the streetcar means Old Gin will have to walk to work, but it is a price he is willing to pay. Old Gin has had to be patient in the past so that survival is easier for him and Jo, but as Jo grows up to become a strong, smart young woman, Old Gin too begins to reevaluate his path of least resistance. He changes over the course of the novel, actively seeking to participate in the horse race, recovering a precious heirloom from a dangerous character, and beating up his henchman in a scuffle. Like Jo, Old Gin is an evolving character with a definite arc.

One of Old Gin’s greatest strengths is his quiet fortitude. He has pretended to be Jo’s adoptive father for the longest time so that Jo doesn’t have to deal with the uncomfortable facts of her parentage. He has kept her in proximity to the Paynes so that Jo can develop family bonds apart from him. He has also given Jo a rich, eclectic education, which forms the basis of Jo’s “Miss Sweetie” voice. Formerly a schoolteacher in China, Old Gin has taught Jo how to read and write. An expert stable hand, he has also taught her how to ride a horse. His friends have taught Jo practical tips and important life lessons. Jo reflects that Old Gin is the perfect parent because he has empowered her to become who she wants to be. 

A reporter with the Focus, 19-year-old Nathan is a sympathetic character in the text and ultimately Jo’s love interest. Nathan is idealistic, with progressive values, and embodies innocence and righteousness in the novel. Like Jo, Nathan loves words and longs to be heard. He sometimes feels his father, the well-meaning but opinionated Mr. Bell, stymies his voice, such as when Mr. Bell shoots down Nathan’s suggestion to include more photos in the Focus to increase readership. Handsome in an understated way, grey-eyed Nathan is often found alongside his sheepdog Bear. Jo describes Nathan as her “oldest friend, even if he doesn’t know it” (25).

Though Nathan has had a privileged and sheltered upbringing, he is sensitive to the plight of other people. He tells Jo that though segregation doesn’t affect people like them (before he sees her out of disguise, he assumes she is also white), it is terrible for others. He decides to print Miss Sweetie’s more radical columns to fight the rising tide of injustice.

Although Nathan does not posture as a macho knight-in-shining-armor, he is chivalrous and protective. He refuses to let Jo go to Riggs’s unchaperoned and helps her out when Riggs is harassing her. In Nathan’s presence, Jo is closest to her Miss Sweetie self, indicating that he lets people be who they are. Together, Nathan and Jo often play with words like children, allowing themselves to be silly, such as when they call peanuts “giddy goobers” (365). The playfulness with language shows Nathan’s ability to not take himself too seriously, presenting him as a welcome masculine ideal, different from men like Mr. Payne, Merritt, and Mr. Q.

Tenacious and forward-looking, Noemi represents the text’s central lesson of never giving up in the face of injustice. Part-Portuguese and part-Black, Noemi is the wife of Robby Withers, a cook at the Payne household, and a frequent target of the bullying of Caroline, the spoiled daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Payne.

However, Noemi refuses to let the bullying bring her down, and continues to fight for her rights every way she can. Noemi is an inspirational female role model for Jo, who, despite her Miss Sweetie voice, is prudent with her opinions in real life. Noemi shows Jo that sometimes being careful is not enough, as problems need to be tackled head-on, no matter what the price. It is Noemi who is the keenest to learn how to ride a bicycle in the novel, knowing that a bicycle will give her autonomy, save her time, and help her reclaim space. Riding a bicycle is a progressive act for a woman, and a downright radical one for a Black woman like Noemi.

Noemi is depicted as proud and resourceful. When Caroline takes back the bicycle Mrs. Payne gave Noemi, Noemi offers to buy it against her salary. When Caroline has Noemi suspended without pay, Noemi improvises to collect money for the bike. Noemi knows engaging with the likes of Caroline is no use; she has to keep creating a path despite the many obstacles white culture will keep throwing her way.

Noemi is also a natural leader, as she takes the initiative to attend the suffragist meeting and, later, starts her own women’s rights organization. Noemi represents a mother-figure for Jo and shows that motherhood need not be biological. An active character, Noemi propels many plot points in the narrative. When she supports Jo against her half-brother Billy Riggs, she shows her sense of fairness.