Margery Benson is a tall, overweight home economics teacher in her late 40s with a bad hip. She is methodical and likes to be prepared for all of life’s eventualities. Her sole ambition is to find a rare golden beetle that is only known to exist in New Caledonia. Witnessing her father’s death by suicide when she was 10 left Margery traumatized, and at the start of the novel she represses her emotions and generally keeps herself from getting involved in other people’s lives. A failed teenage romance with her professor only increased her desire to hide her emotions.

Over the course of the novel, Margery undergoes a radical transformation in her outlook as well as her clothing. Initially, she wears dowdy but sensible ladies’ suits, except for a pith helmet and athletic boots that she assumes she will need in the jungle. Once on the island without her luggage, she is forced to don men’s clothing, which she finds quite liberating. Soon, she strides purposefully up and down a mountain in search of her elusive bug, having gained confidence and self-determination by resisting social conventions and following her dream.

The change in Margery’s attitude is largely because of her exposure to the free-spirited Enid.