Thea Kronborg

Thea Kronborg is the heroine of the novel. Thea is first introduced as an eleven-year-old child who almost dies of undiagnosed pneumonia. She is a Swedish girl with a distinct look that sets her apart from other girls her age. Her father is the Methodist minister of Moonstone. Although Thea does not profess religion, she is very upset by those who claim to believe the Bible but don't follow its principles. For example, Thea is deeply disturbed by an incident involving a tramp who is forced to leave town. Instead of leaving the town the dirty tramp climbs into the town's standpipe and dies. Moonstone's drinking water is contaminated by the corpse and many die from illnesses related to the contaminated water. Thea believes if people lived the way the Bible dictated, this tragedy would not have taken place.

Thea is known by a few people in...