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One of the characters in the monster’s first tale. The evil queen is the young prince’s stepmother, and she is much younger than the king (though many of the villagers in the kingdom are suspicious of her and suspect that she is a witch using magic to make herself young). In the story, the monster saves her from being burned at the stake for a murder that she did not commit. The evil queen has an allegorical connection to Conor’s grandmother, because she also makes herself seem younger and effectively takes over Conor’s household (both of which cause him to dislike her). But the monster argues that even though the evil queen may not be a nice person, she did not commit the crime of murder and therefore should not be punished as such. This is a metaphor for the idea that even though Conor doesn’t like his grandmother, she shouldn’t be blamed for his mother’s failing health and should not be the subject of his ire. Through the story of the evil queen, the monster doesn’t tell Conor to be nicer to his grandmother but instead shows Conor that his grandmother is a complex person and is neither good nor bad.
The Evil Queen Quotes in A Monster Calls
The A Monster Calls quotes below are all either spoken by The Evil Queen or refer to The Evil Queen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Rest of the First Tale
Quotes
You think I tell you stories to teach you lessons? the monster said. You think I have come walking out of time and earth itself to teach you a lesson in niceness?
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There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.
Conor shook his head. “That’s a terrible story. And a cheat.”
It is a true story, the monster said. Many things that are true feel like a cheat. Kingdoms get the princes they deserve, farmers’ daughters die for no reason, and sometimes witches merit saving.
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Life After Death
Quotes
You were merely wishing for the end of pain, the monster said. Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.
“I didn’t mean it,” Conor said.
You did, the monster said, but you also did not.
Conor sniffed and looked up to its face, which was as big as a wall in front of him. “How can both be true?”
Because humans are complicated beasts, the monster said. How can a queen be both a good witch and a bad witch? How can a prince be a murderer and a saviour?
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Get the entire A Monster Calls LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Evil Queen Quotes in A Monster Calls
The A Monster Calls quotes below are all either spoken by The Evil Queen or refer to The Evil Queen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Rest of the First Tale
Quotes
You think I tell you stories to teach you lessons? the monster said. You think I have come walking out of time and earth itself to teach you a lesson in niceness?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.
Conor shook his head. “That’s a terrible story. And a cheat.”
It is a true story, the monster said. Many things that are true feel like a cheat. Kingdoms get the princes they deserve, farmers’ daughters die for no reason, and sometimes witches merit saving.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Life After Death
Quotes
You were merely wishing for the end of pain, the monster said. Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.
“I didn’t mean it,” Conor said.
You did, the monster said, but you also did not.
Conor sniffed and looked up to its face, which was as big as a wall in front of him. “How can both be true?”
Because humans are complicated beasts, the monster said. How can a queen be both a good witch and a bad witch? How can a prince be a murderer and a saviour?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
