Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is the new nanny at Number Seventeen, Cherry-Tree Lane, arriving with a gust of the East Wind and promising to leave when the wind changes again. She charms Jane and Michael with her magical abilities and quirks, but remains a mystery to the reader throughout the book.

Mary Poppins' connections are many and mysterious. She is involved in a romantic relationship of some kind with Bert, is related to the Lord of all animals at the zoo, has a mother who is only mentioned a handful of times, and knows Mrs. Corry very well. Mary's uncle, Uncle Albert, is very close to her and the pair's relationship appears to be very important to the both of them. Yet, Mary Poppins's various relationships are never explored fully or in depth, creating an aura of mystery around the protagonist of the novel.

Mary Poppins' magical abilities are...