Charlotte Heywood is the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Heywood. Austen does not give details about Charlotte’s external appearance other than to say that she is a young woman of 22. Since she has proved to be the most helpful Heywood child, her parents reward her efforts with a trip to Sanditon. Although Charlotte prides herself on her reasonableness and sound judgment, she does not have the experience to judge people correctly as she once thought she did.

Since she is the protagonist, the narrative follows Charlotte’s perspective most of the time, though Austen uses free indirect speech to jump to other characters’ perspectives as well. Since Charlotte’s role is mainly observational, she is a flat character until she becomes invested in the lives of Sanditon’s occupants. Toward the end of the narrative, Charlotte develops her own beliefs and judgments, especially in her opinions about novels and their effect on people’s emotions. In Austen’s other works, such as Northanger Abby, Austen is highly critical of those who become overly influenced by sentimental novels. Charlotte is not such a character, which is shown when she chooses not to read Camilla and reacts negatively to Edward Denham’s grandiose language.