Abby Whitshank is first introduced as a worrisome mother who blames her husband, Red, for their younger son’s withdrawn behavior. Though the troublesome son, Denny, largely ignores his family, Abby admits that she still has a vital connection to him. Her role as overprotective mother to all her children stems from what she perceives as her failure in raising Denny correctly. Abby is afraid that her kids might think her preoccupied and scatterbrained, and much of the narrative highlights how her doting nature does in fact rub them the wrong way. Her absentmindedness later leads to her death when she steps into the street and is hit by a car. These ironies highlight the fact that people can’t control fate, which is a central theme in Abby’s narrative. Despite this, Abby’s presence doesn’t end when she dies. When the family displays her favorite, handmade ghost decorations at the end of the narrative, and when Denny wonders if a spool of blue thread that randomly falls into his hand after Abby’s death is her doing, Abby is shown to still be hovering over her family in her maternal role of protector.

Abby’s background reveals that she’s been an open, warmhearted person for much of her life.