66 pages • 2 hours read
Sydney J. ShieldsThe Honey Witch
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Marigold Claude
Marigold Claude is the novel’s protagonist. At the beginning of the novel, she is 21 years old and feels like she does not belong in the high society of her home community of Bardshire. Marigold sees herself as one of the “wild women who run barefoot through the meadow” (9).
Marigold feels conflicted about settling for a life of marriage, but she knows there is much social pressure to do so as she quickly ages out of a socially- acceptable range for a woman to be unwed. Marigold equates the idea of romantic love with settling down as a dutiful wife and mother, leading to her decision to accept her role as the Honey Witch in Chapter 2. After her ritual is complete, Marigold explains, “I finally feel whole” (38), despite having given up her ability to find love to accept these powers.
Marigold learns to use her powers with the help of Althea and with knowledge from the grimoire that Althea leaves behind. Despite her satisfaction with her newfound career, Marigold finds herself plagued by loneliness after Althea passes. Although she tries to use spells to alleviate this loneliness, nothing can break 
