As the March family's primary domestic helper, Hannah fulfills both maid and cook responsibilities, treated with familial affection and regarded as a close friend, especially by the four sisters. Her long-term service began at Meg's birth and continued steadfastly through their financial decline after their home's destruction in the Civil War, subtly underscoring their maintained gentility through hardship.

Generally jolly and deeply attached, Hannah occasionally experiences transient "moods." She displays a firm, no-nonsense approach during household crises, like Beth's initial scarlet fever, when she assumed nursing duties, sent Amy away for safety, and initially opposed informing Marmee to prevent parental worry. She later conceded Laurie's intervention in summoning Marmee was justified, despite his overstepping.

The anime adaptation significantly alters her character, depicting her as African-American instead of the novel's Irish Caucasian. This change facilitates new narrative elements, including her courageous participation in hiding John, a runaway slave forcibly conscripted by Confederates, during the Confederate occupation of Gettysburg. Her fears are expanded, showing an initial fear of cats that gradually develops into affection for the family's rescued kitten, Milky-Ann.

Hannah continues her service into the sequel series *Little Women II: Jo's Boys*, her consistent presence indicating ongoing integration into the family structure. Physically, the anime portrays her considerably younger than the elderly novel depiction, closer in age to Marmee, with a design reflecting practical domesticity suited to her active household management and crisis response.