How does the author develop the character of Editha throughout the story?

The author portrays Editha as fickle and liable to be swayed by popular beliefs. From the beginning of the story, she is presented as a person who lacks individual insight and perception. Even while trying to convince George that he should go to war, she has no words of her own but simply parrots lines from magazines. The author builds her character along the same lines throughout the story. When George tries to reason with her, she refuses to be contradicted by saying that the moral implications are insignificant in matters of patriotism.

The author uses various opportunities to portray Editha’s lack of individualism, as when she says, "I am yours, for time and eternity-time and eternity." The author also reveals her inconsistency when saying, "She liked the words; they satisfied her famine for phrases." Toward the end of the story, we see Editha clinging to her view of the war even after the death of her fiancé, whom she had convinced to join the war.

Plato