A poor white woman who exists in the Bardo with her husband, Eddie Barron. Like Eddie, Betsy is extremely vulgar and does not refrain from speaking lewdly when she addresses Willie. Also like Eddie, she considers Elson Farwell a friend and has no aversion to the black souls with whom she is buried in a mass grave.
Get the entire Lincoln in the Bardo LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Betsy Barron Character Timeline in Lincoln in the Bardo
The timeline below shows where the character Betsy Barron appears in Lincoln in the Bardo. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 27
...heights of a pine tree and becoming as thin as a pencil. Meanwhile, Eddie and Betsy Baron approach and tell Willie in exceedingly vulgar language how they lived in extreme poverty but...
(full context)
Chapter 100-101
...can’t help but feel “shaken” by Willie’s words. Skimming across the grounds, they watch as Betsy Baron flickers and manifests as all her past and would-be future forms before departing, her husband...
(full context)
Cite This Page
Choose citation style:
MLA
Lannamann, Taylor. "Lincoln in the Bardo Characters: Betsy Barron ." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 30 May 2018. Web. 13 Apr 2025.
Combining the literary wisdom of LitCharts and the power of AI, I can answer your questions about Lincoln in the Bardo or any other title we cover, instantly.