Overtones

The aspect of Gertsenberg's Overtones that struck me the most was the way the characters interact. The "untrained" Maggie and Hetty are only concerned with their own desires. Maggie wants to win back John Caldwell and Hetty wants business for her struggling husband so they won't have to go hungry anymore. Margaret and Harriet, Maggie and Hetty's "overtones," set out to attain the desires of Maggie and Hetty through tactful charm and flattery. Margaret and Harriet would be useless without their inner selves constantly driving and pushing them to achieve what they want, just as Maggie and Hetty would not be able to gain what they desire without the grace and subtlety of their counterparts.