Grace

First Impressions

-          The kids laugh at her

-          “He pulled a piece of rope attached to a trolley on which Mrs Pop Eye stood…. Like and ice queen” – she seemed above them all (significant) and she seemed mysterious – the idea of the queen: shows her separation from everyone else and suggests she is more important

-          She is black like everyone else but at the same time is very different – “Every woman on the island had crinkled hair, but Grace had straightened hers.” – shows she may be rich, or more important – also shows that she isn’t a true Bougainvillian

-          “She looked so proud” – clueless to her own poverty

-          “Mrs Pop Eye held a blue parasol”

-          “Mad as a goose”

-          Acts and seems like a Goddess – “didn’t pay us any attention. We weren’t worthy of that”

Relationships with others

-          Adores Mr Watts

-          Doesn’t socialise as much as Mr Watts – almost like she is too good for them

-          She is all Mr Watts has got

Status & Job

-          Apart from all the other Bougainvillians

-          Different from everyone else on the island – “she looked like an ice queen” – cold

Significance in the story

-          She keeps the reader guessing what she is like due to her reserved appearance

-          As we love Mr Watts’ character, we wonder why he worships her and loves her so much, as she is all he has on the island

Strengths

-          She is loved by Mr Watts – she is what stops him leaving the island

-          She made Mr Watts a more caring, respectful man

-          She was very intelligent and managed to make a life on the island

Weaknesses

-          Doesn’t get as involved with the villages as Mr Watts does.

-          Seems like she thinks she is above everyone else as she hasn’t got the time of day for other villagers

-          Had an affair with Mr Watts (when he already has a partner)- as we find out later in the book from June Watts

-          She couldn’t snap out of playing the Queen of Sheba – this is what made her not socialise

-          She was in a mental hospital at one time

Symbolic Purpose

-          She was the smartest out of all the people on the island for her generation

-          She was mad, everyone saw her as mental

-          She was mysterious

-          Symbolises health and loss

-          “Mr Watts said she looked through him without a flicker of recognition” – shows hurt

Key Quotations

-          “She looked like an ice queen. Nearly every woman on our island had crinkled hair, but Grace had straightened hers….. in the absence of a crown her hair did the trick. She looked so proud, as if she had no idea of her own bare feet……” P1

-          “’Grace is not my wife’s name,’ he said. ‘Everyone here knows her as Grace of course. But she changed it. Her name is Sheba. This happened many years ago, before you were born. Because of certain events, shall we say, and at a time in her life when she needed to make changes….” P63

-          “She was Grace and black like us”

-          “I hoped Sheba might eventually grow into her name”

-          “Mr Watts and Grace looked so young… but what was strange was Grace. She was smiling. I had never before seen her smile” P208