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Mom
Margaret’s dad works in insurance in New York City. He was raised Jewish by his mom, Margaret’s Grandma, but when he and Mom got married, they decided to not identify as any one religion. They’ve taught Margaret to do the same, insisting that she can choose her religion when she’s an adult. Dad is thrilled with the move to the New Jersey suburbs—he’s excited to be able to mow his own lawn, for instance. However, his dreams of mowing the lawn are dashed when, the first time he tries, Dad sticks his hand into the mower and injures himself. Dad is a somewhat distant presence in Margaret’s life in Farbrook, given that he commutes to the city and is often at work. He seems to have a somewhat distant relationship with Grandma, too, seemingly because of his choice to give up Judaism and his desire for privacy (Grandma regularly dropped in on the family when they lived in New York, and he expresses anger when she does the same in Farbrook). Dad is fiercely protective of his family and hates Mom’s parents, Margaret’s Grandmother and Grandfather, for disowning her when they got married 14 years ago—though he remains polite with them when they visit, he’s extremely angry in the weeks leading up to their visit and has nothing nice to say about them.
Dad Quotes in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
The Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. quotes below are all either spoken by Dad or refer to Dad. 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:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
My parents don’t know I actually talk to God. I mean, if I told them they’d think I was some kind of religious fanatic or something. So I keep it very private. I can talk to him without moving my lips if I have to. My mother says God is a nice idea. He belongs to everybody.
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Chapter 5
Quotes
“But if you aren’t any religion, how are you going to know if you should join the Y or the Jewish Community Center?” Janie asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I never thought about it. Maybe we won’t join either one.”
“But everybody belongs to one or the other,” Nancy said.
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Chapter 21
Quotes
“Who needs religion? Who! Not me…I don’t need it. I don’t even need God!” I ran out of the den and up to my room.
[…]
I was never going to talk to God again. What did he want from me anyway? I was through with him and his religions! And I was never going to set foot in the Y or the Jewish Community Center—never.
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Dad Quotes in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
The Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. quotes below are all either spoken by Dad or refer to Dad. 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:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
My parents don’t know I actually talk to God. I mean, if I told them they’d think I was some kind of religious fanatic or something. So I keep it very private. I can talk to him without moving my lips if I have to. My mother says God is a nice idea. He belongs to everybody.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5
Quotes
“But if you aren’t any religion, how are you going to know if you should join the Y or the Jewish Community Center?” Janie asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I never thought about it. Maybe we won’t join either one.”
“But everybody belongs to one or the other,” Nancy said.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21
Quotes
“Who needs religion? Who! Not me…I don’t need it. I don’t even need God!” I ran out of the den and up to my room.
[…]
I was never going to talk to God again. What did he want from me anyway? I was through with him and his religions! And I was never going to set foot in the Y or the Jewish Community Center—never.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
