As the novel’s protagonist, Marian McAlpin is a recent university graduate currently working at Seymour Surveys. Her administrative position requires her to “translate” the survey questions written by male psychologists to more colloquial language that can be used by the female interviewers and interviewees, most of whom are housewives. At the beginning of the novel, Marian has a casual relationship with Peter Wollander. She enjoys going to parties and out for drinks in the evening; she has no interest in getting married, becoming a mother, or having to fulfill a traditional feminine role for a man. When riding public transport, Marian often reads the advertisements to discern which specific group of people are being marketed to.

Marian’s character is based upon her dislike for locked roles, stasis, or the inability to change. She fears being captured in a particular pose or role. Her relationships with the other characters display her ability to interpret their emotional states and modulate her own behavior to best suit them. When Peter unexpectedly proposes to her, Marian experiences identity dissociation from a lack of personal autonomy. This is reflected in the narrative by the switch from first person to third person

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