Dolores

Main Characteristics

-          At the end of the novel, Dolores respects Mr Watts because he speaks of a character in the Bible- this leads to her death as she does the right thing: making up for the fact that she stole Mr Watts’ book which got him killed

-          She always does what she believes is the right thing

-          She does everything she can to protect her daughter from harm

-          Always religious throughout the book

-          Ironic – at the start or the novel she is trying to get Mr Watts in trouble but in the ends she gets him out of trouble

-          Her personality slightly changes: she gives in which is not in her nature at all

-          She realised that she messed up so tried to get rid of her sins

-          “Dolores” = ‘sorrows’ in Latin

-          Strong believer – Christian which she reinforces upon the children – when she talks to them about crabs: she references the Bible a lot

-          Hides her emotions of sadness (when her husband left the family) for Matilda’s sake – this shows how strong she is

-          She is deceitful and naïve because she hides Mr Watts’ copy of Great Expectations

-          Her hope is routed from religious beliefs – she is not open minded

-          She is easily influenced by the Bible as she sees Great Expectations as the word/world of the devil

-          She is wary of Mr Watts and does not trust him

-          At the end, she realises her faults and tries to make peace

-          She is very strict on Matilda but acts this way out of love and protection

-          She is frustrated at the situation that the island is in

-          Brave and heroic at the end as she pays dearly for what she has done wrong

-          She ends up a martyr figure – connotations of God

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Key Quotations

-          “Don’t speak Matilda. Don’t say anything.” P179

-          “Now listen. Faith is like oxygen. It keeps you afloat sometimes.” P37

-          “and maybe in this specialist area Mr Watts is no blimmin’ good” P75

-          “Now, here are some words to learn off by heart…” P37

-          “He was a good man. I am here as God’s witness.” P176

-          “She wore it tied tight at the back of her head, which was the same way the rebels wore their bandanas.” P35

-          “She knew the contents of what she called the Good book. She thought about those contents a lot.” P36