The Optimist's Daughter The main characters in The Optimist's Daughter are Judge McKelva, Becky Mckelva, Laurel Mckelva, Wanda Fay, Dr. Courtland, Miss Adele Courtland, Tish Bullock, Major Bullock, Miss Tennyson and Miss Missouri. Becky Mckelva was Judge Mckelva's wife before she died and had Laurel Mckelva with her. Wanda Fay remarried Judge Mckelva after her wife's death. Dr. Courtland operated on Becky Mckelva and the final operation on Judge Mckelva. Miss Adele Courtland is Dr. Courtland's sister and Laurel McKelva's maid of honor. Tish Bullock is also Laurel's maid of honor and is the daughter of Miss Tennyson and Major Bullock. Miss Tennyson is Laurel McKelva's other bridesmaid and is married to Major Bullock. Miss Missouri is the McKelvas' maid and a longtime family friend. 3.1 Two main characters in The Optimist's Daughter are Wanda Fay and Laurel McKelva. Wanda Fay is a woman in her forties and has the maturity of a child. Whenever she gets angry, Fay starts screaming, pointing fingers, and looking for people who can help her. She can't stand up and fight for herself, Fay instead uses tactics to make her opponent feel sorry or inferior. This makes her extremely difficult to get along with as she is always demanding and never giving. Laurel McKelva is the exact opposite of Wanda Fay. She is kind-hearted, friendly, thoughtful and intelligent. Laurel has an air of maturity and understanding about her due to her life experiences. 3.3 In "The Optimist's Daughter" Judge McKelva will soon undergo eye surgery to repair a slipped retina. Judge McKelva, his daughter Laurel, and his new wife Fay are all anxious about the surgery and what might happen. Laurel's mother died of cancer that started in her eyes and the family fears that the judge may be suffering from the same disease. The intervention symbolizes a fear contained by the three main characters and is a form of foreshadowing. As mentioned several times by Laurel, she fears that her father may not survive the operation and die, like her mother, blind and confused. I predict that Judge McKelva will fail the surgery or die shortly thereafter. With such a sudden death, Laurel and Fay won't have time to say goodbye and this will lead to complications later in the book..