Hortense Hulot
Hortense looks like her mother, but she has “golden hair, wavy by nature and surprisingly thick”. Her skin has “the lustre of mother-of-pearl”. Her appearance immediately recognizes “the hot, health-blossoming youth” and her excess of vitality brings to light. Hortense attracts all eyes. When “the innocent gaze of her blue eyes” draws near the passersby, they involuntarily flinch. The imagery of Hortense gives an impression of the beautiful girl, who looks like a goddess.
The old maid
The old maid Bette wears a merino gown, of which “the cut and trimming date from the year of the Restoration”. Her “scarf costs at most three francs” and a common straw hat with blue ribbons “can be seen at the Parisian market”. Her kid shoes are “made, it is evident, by the poorest cobbler”. A stranger does not recognize Cousin Bette as a member of the family, for she looks exactly “like a seamstress”. The image of Bette Fischer gives an impression of the untidy and unsympathetic woman.
Adeline’s dwelling
The apartment, chosen by Hector for Adeline, consists of “a spacious hallway, a living room and a bedroom together with a toilet room”. The heart cringes, when you see the spacious hallway, “resembling the dull ministerial hallways” with its furniture: a dozen chairs, a barometer, a large oven and long curtains. “Everything is dull”. The image of Adeline’s apartment gives an impression of solitude, in which she lives. Grief is reflected in this apartment.
