Mrs. Jenkins is John Rolfe's kind and lovable housekeeper from 1998's Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.
Background[]
Personality[]
Mrs. Jenkins is not your typical English woman. She is depicted as kind and generous to John Rolfe and visitors, Pocahontas and Uttamatomakkin, as well as animals, Percy, Meeko, and Flit. She is displayed as a rather comical character, due to her mistakes such as breaking things when people yell out her name, her blind mistakes when she doesn't have her glasses on, or the fact that she makes tea more almost everything. Though comical, she is very helpful and motherly almost to Pocahontas, especially when she was getting her ready for the Hunt Ball.
Physical appearance[]
Mrs. Jenkins is rather short and round in size. She sports a white bonnet on her head (probably to cover her hair when cleaning). She wears a pink, short-sleeved dress with a white, long-sleeved undershirt. Her most notable article of clothing is her glasses, which she loses often and is the basis of her comical accidents and mistakes. A running gag throughout the movie is Mrs. Jenkins losing her glasses.
Role in the film[]
After a carriage ride to John Rolfe's manor, Pocahontas and her friends are introduced to Mrs. Jenkins, the housekeeper, who, according to Rolfe, has been with the Rolfe family for generations. She joyously puts on tea for the guests, as Rolfe thought she would, as she has the tendency to make tea for almost anything.
Later, John tells Pocahontas that he must see King James alone but gives her his word that she will meet with him soon. After he departs, Pocahontas confronts Mrs. Jenkins about this, as she feels she is not doing anything to save her people. Mrs. Jenkins then responds, telling Pocahontas that John will take care of everything and that Pocahontas 'can stake her life on that.'
After the meeting with the King, Rolfe returns, angered by the change in plans, including Pocahontas having to attend the Hunt Ball. Mrs. Jenkins helps Pocahontas get ready by dressing her, putting on makeup, giving her hairstyles, and teaching her how to dance and act like a "civilized" person. She later wishes Pocahontas, John, and Uttamattamakin off and goes to put on more tea for Meeko, Flit, and Percy.
After Pocahontas and Uttamattamakin are arrested, Mrs. Jenkins, John Rolfe, Meeko, Flit, and Percy sadly mourn at the manor. Mrs. Jenkins, hanging her head, goes to put on some more tea.
At the end of the film, Mrs. Jenkins is last seen wishing Pocahontas off as she sails back to Virginia. Pocahontas asks her if she knew where John was, but the latter said no and stated that 'John hates goodbyes as much as she does.' Pocahontas leaves her and is last seen beckoning Uttamattamakin, who decided to stay in England, and the bear Pocahontas saved at the Hunt Ball back to her house.
Trivia[]
- Mrs. Jenkins offers tea for her visitors in the film. In real life, Dutch people introduced tea to England between 1652 and 1654.
- Unlike Pocahontas and John Rolfe, this character is totally fictional. The real John Rolfe did not have a female housekeeper at all.
