Previous
Margaret Simon
Grandma is Margaret’s paternal grandmother. She’s Jewish, 60 years old, and lives in New York City. A fashionable woman, Grandma always wears nice clothes and dyes her hair different fashionable colors. She and Margaret have a close relationship and spend a lot of time together when given the option, something that Margaret believes her Mom and Dad resent. So Margaret concludes that moving to New Jersey is a ploy to separate her from Grandma, since Grandma thinks public transportation is dirty and doesn’t own a car, and therefore she won’t visit as much. But Grandma surprises Margaret and her parents with visits several times over the course of the novel. Through this, the novel offers clues that Mom and Dad take issue more with Grandma’s unwillingness to respect their privacy and space (Grandma dropped in daily without notice when the family still lived in New York) than the particulars of her relationship with Margaret—though they do seem to fear that Grandma might pressure Margaret into identifying as Jewish. Grandma is thrilled when Margaret asks to attend temple with her, and she sees this as proof that Margaret is actually Jewish. She’s distraught when Margaret later insists she isn’t and that she doesn’t believe in God, and they don’t make up before the end of the novel. Regardless, throughout the novel, Grandma is the one who takes Margaret to do fun things, like see concerts at Lincoln Center. She regularly compliments Margaret’s maturity and is there to support Margaret through puberty. Grandma spends much of the novel on a cruise for the holidays and then wintering in Florida, insisting that there’s nothing to do in New York without Margaret there.
Grandma 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 Grandma or refer to Grandma. 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 1
Quotes
Now some kids might think, who cares about seeing a grandmother? But Sylvia Simon is a lot of fun, considering her age, which I happen to know is sixty. The only problem is she’s always asking me if I have boyfriends and if they’re Jewish. Now that is ridiculous because number one I don’t have boyfriends. And number two what would I care if they’re Jewish or not?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
At first I tried very hard to understand what he was talking about. But after a while I gave up and started counting different colored hats. I counted eight brown, six black, three red, a yellow and a leopard before the rabbi finished. Then we all stood up again and everyone sang a song in Hebrew that I didn’t know. And that was it! I expected something else. I don’t know what exactly. A feeling, maybe. But I suppose you have to go more than once to know what it's all about.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23
Quotes
“Just remember, Margaret…no matter what they said…you’re a Jewish girl.”
“No I’m not!” I argued. “I’m nothing, and you know it! I don’t even believe in God!”
“Margaret!” Grandma said, “Don’t ever talk like that about God.”
“Why not?” I asked. “It’s true!” I wanted to ask God did he hear that! But I wasn’t speaking to him and I guess he knew it!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. LitChart as a printable PDF.
Grandma 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 Grandma or refer to Grandma. 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 1
Quotes
Now some kids might think, who cares about seeing a grandmother? But Sylvia Simon is a lot of fun, considering her age, which I happen to know is sixty. The only problem is she’s always asking me if I have boyfriends and if they’re Jewish. Now that is ridiculous because number one I don’t have boyfriends. And number two what would I care if they’re Jewish or not?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
At first I tried very hard to understand what he was talking about. But after a while I gave up and started counting different colored hats. I counted eight brown, six black, three red, a yellow and a leopard before the rabbi finished. Then we all stood up again and everyone sang a song in Hebrew that I didn’t know. And that was it! I expected something else. I don’t know what exactly. A feeling, maybe. But I suppose you have to go more than once to know what it's all about.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23
Quotes
“Just remember, Margaret…no matter what they said…you’re a Jewish girl.”
“No I’m not!” I argued. “I’m nothing, and you know it! I don’t even believe in God!”
“Margaret!” Grandma said, “Don’t ever talk like that about God.”
“Why not?” I asked. “It’s true!” I wanted to ask God did he hear that! But I wasn’t speaking to him and I guess he knew it!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
