Miss Pross


Miss Pross is a character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities.
Miss Pross is the no-nonsense governess and friend of Lucie Manette. She is also the sister of Solomon Pross.
She accompanies Lucie to Dover when Lucie goes to France to retrieve her father, Dr. Alexandre Manette, after his release from the Bastille, but her stout English patriotism causes her to stay in England. She is Lucie's constant companion accompanying her to the trial of Charles Darnay, to church, to just about everything. She is Lucie's shadow and protector, and overcomes her dislike of everything not English to accompany Lucie to France when her husband Charles Darnay is arrested in Paris as an aristocrat and an to prevent her. In the fight that ensues, Madame Defarge's pistol goes off, killing herself. Miss Pross leaves Madame Defarge's body there and escapes with Jerry Cruncher, but the psychological shock and the sound of the gun cause her to go deaf.
She is the caretaker of luice manatte

Reception

Teresa Mangan has explored underlying similarities between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge: both women kill in the name of other women whom they love. She concludes that:
"Miss Pross has also suffered as a stereotype. At best, she is held up as Madame’s antithesis. At worst, she is that “woman of a certain age,” a spinster, the literary equivalent of a quirky and amusing character actor of theatre and later film. Even within the constraints of her tertiary role, however, Miss Pross complicates this tale of two cities. Without the respectable, all-consuming outlet of loving Lucie, how like Madame Defarge Miss Pross might be."

Portrayal in other media