The Wives

Seth Ellington is the main antagonist of the novel, but his role within the story is very complex. Seth is a contractor who bounces between Seattle and Portland for both business and pleasure. Seth is married to Hannah Ovark, but he continues to have affairs with both Thursday and Regina. Seth manipulates Thursday by feeding into her perceived reality and discussing his other “wives” with her despite knowing that she is mentally ill. Seth has a temper and is physically aggressive toward all three of his partners in the story.

At first, Thursday perceives Seth as the perfect man and husband, but she slowly realizes that he is extremely manipulative and constantly lying. The women in the story all love Seth for his charisma and charm, but individually, they realize he alters his personality to get what he wants. Seth wants to have children, but not with Thursday. This leads to him drugging her to induce an abortion after he impregnates her during their affair. Seth’s main characteristics are selfishness and manipulation. He uses the women in his life to get what he wants, including sex, money, and a child.

Seth comes from a complicated family, and this informs his actions in the novel. Growing up in Utah with parents who were in a polygamist marriage, Seth was deeply scarred by several events in his life. When he was child, he was sexually abused by a family member and bullied by others. As an adult, his father became increasingly mentally unstable and eventually murdered his mother and died by suicide. Seth experiences depression and is still impacted by his upbringing and his family’s beliefs.

Since Thursday is proven to be an unreliable narrator, it is up to the reader to decide how sympathetic they want to be toward Seth, who ends up paralyzed after Thursday shoots him in the spine. He is a morally ambiguous character who seems to want to help Thursday but is also very selfish and self-righteous.

Regina Coele was Seth Ellington’s first wife, and she is referred to as “Tuesday” for the first few chapters of the novel. Regina is a lawyer who lives in Portland, Oregon, in a small apartment that does not seem to fit her lifestyle. Regina met Seth in college, and the two married after graduation. During their marriage, Regina has a miscarriage and refuses to try to have another child. She and Seth divorced after he began having an affair with Thursday, but he still visits Regina to pay back money she loaned him for his business. Like Thursday, Regina is also having an affair with Seth.

Regina is the antithesis of what Thursday believes a wife should be. In the beginning of the story, Thursday criticizes Regina for refusing to have children with Seth and for prioritizing her career over her relationship. Regina is decisive and intelligent, and she uses these traits to her advantage, as she manipulates Thursday into confronting Hannah and Seth at the end of the novel.

Despite feeling personally wronged by Thursday and wanting revenge, Regina struggles to come to terms with the outcome of her actions. While Regina can’t be fully blamed for what happened to both Thursday and Seth, she is guilty for her part in the matter. At the end of the novel, she goes to speak with Thursday but is unable to admit her fault, and Thursday attacks her. The readers are left to contemplate the morality of Regina’s actions.