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Kind, hardworking, and educated, Corrine is Samuel’s wife, and together they work to uplift the Black community through education, charity, and missionary work. When the couple arrives in Africa, along with Nettie, Olivia, and Adam, Corrine becomes increasingly frustrated with the natives’ belief that Nettie is Samuel’s second wife. She feels threatened by Nettie’s presence, especially due to the yet unexplained similarity in Nettie, Olivia, and Adam’s appearance. Despite logic saying otherwise, Corrine becomes increasingly paranoid, believing that Olivia and Adam are Nettie and Samuel’s children. Corrine is suspicious that Samuel and Nettie met long ago and had an affair, and that Samuel introduced Nettie to Corrine as a maid and child caretaker to deceptively manipulate Corrine into allowing his affair partner to join their family.
Many years after they arrive in Africa, Corrine comes down with African fever, a dangerous disease. She resents that Nettie must nurse her, as she is still suspicious about the affair. To ease her mind, Samuel tells her the truth of how he adopted the children from a problematic acquaintance of his, and Nettie finally admits that the children are her niece and nephew. Finally, Nettie is able to help Corrine remember meeting Celie. Corrine realizes that she forced herself to forget Celie, as she knew instantly that Celie was the mother of her adopted daughter and couldn’t bear to be reminded that Olivia wasn’t her biological child.
Corrine may have felt that she was not able to fulfill her wifely Christian duties by providing Samuel with children. As such, the adopted children become a source of pain and even shame for her, as they remind her of what she could not achieve herself. Her pain is only increased by their resemblance to Nettie, as it becomes ever clearer to herself and the public that the children are not truly hers. Additionally, Nettie herself later admits that she had been in love with Samuel while Corrine was still alive and married to him, so Corrine’s distrust is not entirely unwarranted. However, Corrine eventually experiences a pivotal moment of mercy and faith where she releases her pain and suspicion. Just before she dies of illness, she tells Samuel that she believes him, suggesting that she is sure that he never betrayed her. Her death is a testimony to the strength of her Christian faith, as she dies with forgiveness and grace in her heart.
