Scratchpad

If you are new to Scratchpad, and want full access as a Scratchpad editor, create an account!
If you already have an account, log in and have fun!!

READ MORE

Scratchpad
Register
Advertisement

Major Character Developments

Character History

Eve Dallas was found unconscious in an alley in Dallas, Texas, when she was eight years old. Unable to remember anything at all, her social worker named her and put Eve into a foster home, the beginning of Eve's life in the system. After reaching the age of majority, she moves to New York City where she becomes a police officer, a detective, and at the start of the series, is lieutenant in the Homicide squad as a way of dealing with her own psychological issues.

Throughout the series, her memories return, mostly through a series of nightmares, revealing a history of incestual rape and patricide with her father, Richard Troy. It is revealed that he was raising her in order to sell her out to pedophiles looking to easily rape a child. Her mother, Stella, was a prostitute and a drug addict and was occasionally beaten and raped by Troy herself, but hated her daughter. If Stella is alive, her whereabouts are unknown.

It was implied that since Eve had forgotten her memory, she had forgotten her name, as well, but it is eventually revealed in Reunion in Death that the reason Eve cannot remember her name is because her parents never gave her one. The fact that no one in Dallas could track down her ID indicates one of two things: that either Homeland Security interfered and deleted her data, or that her parents never had her registered in the first place. For all intents and purposes, Eve did not exist in any records before she was eight years old.

After her relationship and subsequent marriage to Roarke, Eve is a much happier and, to some extent, calmer person; she is more willing to work with and depend on other people. They celebrate their one-year anniversary in Reunion in Death, in early June of 2059. Eve's relationship with Roarke is central to the series and her character (see below).

Eve's official residence is 222 Central Park West, with Roarke.

Physical Characteristics

Eve is typically described as having whiskey-colored eyes and tawny hair and being tall and slim, as well as a distinctive dent in her chin. Her measurements are specifically revealed in Immortal in Death.

  • Height: 5 feet, 9 inches
  • Age: appromixately thirty years old in Naked in Death
  • Weight: 120 pounds
  • Waist: 26.2 inches

The latter two likely fluctuate throughout the series, but no numbers are given thereafter.

It has been noted repeatedly during the series that Eve does not have large breasts, which is in line with Eve's weight. In fact, in Naked in Death, Eve is not wearing a bra when she first has sex with Roarke and throughout the series, is not mentioned to wear one very often - even during scenes describing her dressing, presumably because she does not need one. In regards to her face, Trina, Mavis's friend, occasionally does make-up for Eve, and has commented several times that Eve has very good bone structure.

Personality

Eve is a fiercely dedicated cop; she initially has very few friendship and remarks that she can "count on her hands" how many people there are who really mean something to her. Roarke says to her in Memory in Death that for someone who intrinsically doesn't like people, there's no one more determined to find them justice.

She comments once (to Roarke) that she was never sick upon seeing a body at a scene (if she was sick, it was later), as she feels that there has to be someone who can handle it.

Eve prefers to do things on her own, as it has less complications that way - both in her personal and professional lives. For instance, Eve sleeps with Roarke - a suspect in her murder case - an act that jeopardizes her job. However, she does not tell Roarke, even when he calls and asks her if anything has happened. As for her job, she chose to be a police officer because that way she could have definite control over her own life, something she didn't have until she was eighteen. She initially has, and still does have, difficulty in opening up to and depending on people. For example, she doesn't tell Peabody that she was repeatedly raped by her father and that she killed him in self-defense until Visions in Death. For another example, prior to Roarke, she had no serious romances. In fact, her relationship with Don Webster implies that she had rare one-night stands as opposed to relationships.

Given Eve's past - her memories indicate that her father started raping her when she was around five or six - she is extremely sickened by rape victims and experiences more difficulty with these cases. Due to this, she desires to save children and regrets their deaths greatly; at the same time, she has trouble in dealing with live children. They generally confuse her and she desires to stay as far away from them as possible.

Her darker past aside, however, Eve is rough, often brusque, tends to a great deal of sarcasm, adores chocolate and coffee, and can be very considerate. She wasn't particularly good in school, but is very clever and has excellent intuition nonetheless.

Advertisement