The Orphan Collector: A Heroic Novel of Survival During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Bernice is the novel’s antagonist. She is a 20-year-old war widow and deeply religious woman who lives across the street from Pia and her family. Bernice’s son, Wallis, is only a couple of months old when he dies from the flu. Overwhelmed with grief, Bernice hopes to die and even considers ending her life. She blames herself for Wallis’s death, but she also blames the immigrants and people of color who she feels have been taking over the city, crowding neighborhoods and “stealing jobs from real Americans” (50).

Aside from her prejudice, Bernice’s main trait is her ability to rationalize her actions—particularly in terms of American Patriotism. She tells herself that she is doing the right thing by stealing children so that they can be assimilated into “respectable” American society (or at least removed from the city streets). When she takes the twins, she reasons that God will regard it as a “favorable act” and her as “a good Christian” (88). To achieve her ends, she adopts a false identity as “Nurse Wallis,” taking advantage of the widespread fear and grief that the epidemic causes to prey on vulnerable families. She is manipulative, a con artist, and a scammer. Deep down, she realizes that what she is doing is wrong but cannot face it; the thought that Wallis’s death was inevitable, or at least arbitrary, is too painful. In the fleeting moments when Bernice feels guilt about her actions, she leans into her justifications for them until her lies are all she has left.

Finn lives across the street from Pia and down the hall from Bernice. He was one of the first people to talk to Pia at school and accepted her as a German immigrant when others shunned her. He himself emigrated from Ireland with his family and has a thick accent as well as long copper hair. Though a year older than Pia, Finn becomes her only friend and stands up for her when the other students tease her.

Finn is a pivotal character because he shows Pia that she does not have to carry her guilt on her own. His compassionate reaction to her story about leaving the boys is a revelation for her: Until that point, she believed that everyone else would judge her as harshly as she had been judging herself. When she realizes that is not true, a weight lifts and she begins to heal. Finn also shows great loyalty, tracking Pia down after years of (involuntary) separation. When Pia and Finn are adults, their relationship has the potential to become romantic.

Mrs. Hudson is the wife of Dr. Hudson; she hires Pia to help with her four children. She is very generous and gives Pia new clothes and a big room with a closet. She also treats Pia with kindness, expressing sympathy when she learns about Pia’s family and brothers. She stands up for Pia multiple times—most significantly to Nurse Wallis. Mrs. Hudson’s role as a supporting character helps Pia learn to trust and gives her a second chance to have a family.

Like Bernice, Mrs. Hudson experiences the loss of an infant, but her experience varies in key ways that illustrate Socioeconomic Differences and Access to Critical Care. The Hudsons are middle-class, and though wealth does not lessen Mrs. Hudson’s grief, she does not face the additional hardships of poverty that exacerbate emotional stress. When the Hudsons later adopt Cooper, Mrs. Hudson has a supportive, loving family and domestic help from Pia. The Hudsons’ wealth does not negatively affect Mrs. Hudson’s character, who treats Pia like a daughter rather than a second-class citizen on account of her immigrant status, German heritage, or impoverished background.

Dr. Hudson is the father of the Hudson family. He is a doctor who lost his arm fighting in the war. His medical expertise gives him insight into how the flu has affected the city at large, so he requires his family to take as many precautions as possible. Dr. Hudson believes Pia when she explains her ability to sense hurt or pain in people, and he even comes to rely on her intuition in his own diagnostic process. Acting as a father figure to Pia, he also shows her sympathy and accepts her for who she is as a valuable member of the household and of society.

Mrs. Lange is Pia’s mother. She runs the household after her husband enlists in the army, making particular efforts to prove her family’s loyalty to America. Though she has a heavy accent, she insists that the family speak English in public and try to assimilate into American culture—not because she is ashamed of her heritage but because she recognizes the danger of anti-immigrant sentiment. Mutti is also caring and protective concerning Pia’s sixth sense, trying to keep her away from unwanted touch. Mrs. Lange dies during the first wave of influenza, and despite her grief, Pia draws on the strength of her mother’s example once she is on her own.

Ollie and Max are four-month-old twins, the younger brothers of Pia. Pia cares for them exclusively after her mother’s death, ultimately making the difficult decision to leave them in a cubby while she leaves to search for food and supplies. Pia loses track of them for many years after this, as Bernice kidnaps the boys and changes their names to the more “American” (i.e., English) Owen and Mason. When Pia finally reunites with them, they are six years old and have “Mutti’s cobalt blue eyes” (378).

The twins’ abduction is the catalyst for the plot’s action and the event that connects Pia to Bernice. Their name change symbolizes that children are a blank slate; if Pia had not found them, the boys might not have ever known about their original identities.