The characters of The Blind Assassin, a 2000 novel by Margaret Atwood.
Iris Chase-Griffen
The main character and narrator.- Arranged Marriage: She was 18 when married to the 35 year old Richard.
- The Baby Trap: Averted. Alex Thomas asks her to leave her husband before he even learns she is pregnant by him. And because she is pregnant, she feels she must stay with Richard at least until she can leave.
- Consummate Liar: She becomes extremely good at this.
- Deadpan Snarker: As an old woman, she grows into this, but even as a young woman she tended towards concise, sharp remarks. When a man exposes himself to her, she looks at him calmly and says:Iris: I'm sorry. I'm just not interested.
- Dumb Blonde: She takes advantage of this stereotype while young and pretty. As the reader sees her internal monologue, she is quite shrewd, practical, and a shameless, if not perfect, liar.
- Nerves of Steel: When Winifred asks why Aimee is darkhaired when her parents are blonde, Iris—having just come out of an ether-induced slumber—first apologizes for it not being a boy, then begins a casual ramble on how only her mother's side of the family was blonde and the rest of it was darkhaired, until Winifred and Richard are too bored to listen. Later, Iris notes that this would never have worked after the knowledge of recessive genes was widespread.
- Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Iris takes refuge in this as she ages, having been a trophy wife constrained to politeness in her prime.
- Smoking Is Glamorous: She filched her father's cigarettes at least before she was eighteen as an act of rebellion. Even Laura disapproves of it.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: She has a ten-year affair with Alex Thomas that results in her only child Aimee. Given Richard's behavior towards her and her sister, one can hardly blame her.
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: She becomes a decent user of this, but still fails to keep her child and grandchild from falling into Winifred's clutches.
Laura Chase
Iris' younger sister by four years.- Celibate Hero: From a young age, she has devoted her life to serving God, as far as anyone including Iris can tell. This includes a self-imposed vow of chastity.
- The Ophelia: Laura is intensely spiritual and seen as a little bit crazy by the conservative, wealthy social circle. However, when Laura gets a job with normal people to prove she can survive in the real world, she does perfectly fine.
- He Is Not My Boyfriend: She insists she has absolutely no romantic interest in Alex Thomas, and that she only spends time with him because he is a poor orphan who needs help. Iris is unsure of this herself until she learns from an incredibly cryptic suicide note that the only person Laura had ever had sex with was Richard, who forced it on her, and then forced her to have an abortion.
Alex Thomas
A young man with no parents, who never seems to be quite on anyone's side.- Knight in Sour Armor: Despite sleeping around a lot, he resents being accused of trying to seduce Laura, who was fourteen years old when he met her and "a saint in training."
- Two First Names
- Vague Age: He is younger than Richard but still a bit older than Iris, at least.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Judging from The Blind Assassin, at least. Alex goes from "You shouldn't worship me, you'll probably find someone else" to asking Iris to leave Richard.
