Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier Character Analysis in Everything, Everything

Maddy’s mom, a third-generation Japanese doctor and a single mother. Mom and Maddy have an extremely close relationship, as Mom has dedicated her entire life to caring for Maddy. After losing Maddy’s dad and brother in a traffic accident when Maddy was five months old, Mom struggled to cope and ended up creating a fake diagnosis of SCID for baby Maddy. She used the settlement money from the accident to create an environment that would be safe for Maddy and hired Carla to care for her. For much of the novel, Maddy takes this as proof that Mom cares deeply for her and genuinely wants her to be healthy and safe. This begins to change when Maddy begins seeing Olly and Mom finds out about it. To Mom, Olly represents all manner of dangers for her daughter—in addition to possibly introducing germs into their sterile home, a relationship with Olly also opens Maddy up to heartbreak like Mom experienced when she lost her husband. Because of this, Mom cracks down on Maddy in an effort to protect her and discourage her from keeping secrets. This backfires, however, when Maddy goes to Hawaii without telling Mom. Mom takes Maddy’s actions as a personal affront and accuses Maddy of trying to hurt her personally, which suggests that Mom doesn’t see Maddy’s burgeoning independence as something normal and expected. Later, when Maddy discovers that Mom fabricated her SCID diagnosis, it comes to light that Mom is mentally ill and never recovered after losing her husband and son. She faked Maddy’s diagnosis so she could care for her and keep her safe from everything that might hurt her emotionally or physically. Mom begins to seek counseling after Maddy discovers the lie and still seems unwell by the end of the novel. However, she does behave in ways that suggest she may be able to come to terms with Maddy’s newfound independence, such as buying Maddy a phone and not trying to stop her from leaving for New York City.

Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier Quotes in Everything, Everything

The Everything, Everything quotes below are all either spoken by Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier or refer to Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier. 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:

This year is a little harder than the previous. Maybe it’s because I’m eighteen now. Technically, I’m an adult. I should be leaving home, going off to college. My mom should be dreading empty-nest syndrome. But because of SCID, I’m not going anywhere.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier

Page Number and Citation: 10

Explanation and Analysis:

I wish again that I could talk to my mom about this. I want to ask her why I get breathless when I think of him. I want to share my giddiness with her. I want to tell her all the funny things Olly says. I want to tell her how I can’t make myself stop thinking about him even though I try. I want to ask her if this is the way she felt about Dad at the beginning.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Maddy’s Dad

Page Number and Citation: 94

Explanation and Analysis:

It feels strange not to talk to my mom about something, someone, who’s becoming so important to me. My mom and I are drifting apart, but not because we’re spending less time together. And not because Olly’s replacing her. We’re drifting apart because for the first time in my life, I have a secret to keep.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier

Page Number and Citation: 101

Explanation and Analysis:

Before, I was worried about keeping secrets from her. Now, I’m worried about not being able to have any secrets at all. I know she’s not upset that I bought new clothes. She’s upset that I didn’t ask her opinion and bought them in colors that she didn’t expect. She’s upset with the change she didn’t see coming. I resent and understand it at the same time.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier

Related Symbols: The Color White, Colors (Pink, Yellow, Orange)

Page Number and Citation: 114

Explanation and Analysis:

“Can I have my Internet privileges back?” I have to try.

She shakes her head. “Ask me for something else, honey.”

“Please, Mom.”

“It’s better this way. I don’t want you to have a broken heart.”

“Love can’t kill me,” I say, parroting Carla’s words.

“That’s not true,” she says. “Whoever told you that?”

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Olly, Carla

Page Number and Citation: 149

Explanation and Analysis:

“Of course I regret it. A lot of bad things happened on that trip. And when my mother and father died, I couldn’t go back for the funerals. Rosa doesn’t know anything about where she’s from.” She sighs. “You’re not living if you’re not regretting.”

What am I going to regret? My mind cycles through visions: my mom alone in my white room wondering where everyone she’s ever loved went. My mom alone in a green field staring down at my grave and my dad’s grave and my brother’s grave. My mom dying all alone in that house.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Carla (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Rosa, Maddy’s Dad, Maddy’s Brother

Related Symbols: The Color White, Colors (Pink, Yellow, Orange)

Page Number and Citation: 186

Explanation and Analysis:

By eighteen years old, other teenagers have separated from their parents. They leave home, have separate lives, make separate memories. But not me. My mom and I have shared the same closed space and breathed the same filtered air for so long that it’s strange being here without her. It’s strange making memories that don’t include her.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier

Page Number and Citation: 203

Explanation and Analysis:

“Maybe growing up means disappointing the people we love.”

Related Characters: Zach (speaker), Madeline “Maddy” Whittier, Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier

Page Number and Citation: 218

Explanation and Analysis:

“How could you do this to yourself? You could’ve died,” she whispers.

She steps closer, hugs a clipboard to her chest. “How could you do this to me? After everything?”

Related Characters: Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Madeline “Maddy” Whittier

Page Number and Citation: 242

Explanation and Analysis:

I wish I could undo the last few months of knowing him. I would stay in my room. I would hear the truck beeping next door and I would remain on my white couch in my white room reading my brand-new books. I would remember my past and then I would remember not to repeat it.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier

Related Symbols: The Color White

Page Number and Citation: 256

Explanation and Analysis:

He’s not sure which conversation with his mom finally convinced her. It could’ve been because he told her he couldn’t be part of the family anymore if she stayed. Sometimes you have to leave the people who love you the most, he said. Or, he says, it could’ve been when he finally told her about me and about how sick I am and how I was willing to do anything just to live. He says that she thinks I’m brave.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Olly’s Dad, Zach, Olly’s Mom

Page Number and Citation: 259

Explanation and Analysis:

“Mom, it’s OK,” I say. “I didn’t really believe it anyway.”

I don’t think she hears me. “I had to protect you,” she says.

“I know, Mom.” I don’t really want to talk about this anymore. I move back into her arms.

“I had to protect you,” she says into my hair.

And it’s that last “I had to protect you” that makes a part of me go quiet.

[...]

I try to pull away, to see her face, but she holds on tight.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Dr. Melissa Francis

Page Number and Citation: 267

Explanation and Analysis:

“Because of the circumstances of your upbringing, we’re not sure about the state of your immune system.”

“What does that mean?”

“We think it’s possible that it’s underdeveloped, like an infant’s.”

“An infant?”

“Your immune system hasn’t been exposed to a lifetime of common viruses and bacterial infections. It hasn’t had time to get experience with fighting these infections. It hasn’t had time to get strong.”

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Dr. Chase (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier

Page Number and Citation: 283

Explanation and Analysis:

Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier Character Timeline in Everything, Everything

The timeline below shows where the character Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier appears in Everything, Everything. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...is write her full name in it. She’s not sure why she does this, as Mom never reads and Carla, her nurse, spends her time watching Maddy breathe. No one visits... (full context)

...house in 17 years. Maddy shares her daily health log with the reader: her mom, Dr. Whittier , records Maddy’s breaths per minute, the room temperature, and the air filter status. (full context)

As Mom takes Maddy’s blood pressure, she asks what Maddy wants to do after dinner. She doesn’t... (full context)

Maddy and Mom bake Maddy’s traditional birthday cake, vanilla sponge with vanilla cream frosting. Maddy frosts it and... (full context)

Later, Maddy blows out the candle on her cake. When Mom asks, Maddy says she wished for world peace—that’s more likely to come true than finding... (full context)

...next morning and wishes her happy birthday in Spanish. Carla knows exactly how Maddy and Mom celebrated, and declares that it’s sweet how close Mom and Maddy are. She notes that... (full context)

...the little boy resisted. Maddy had a dream that aliens kidnapped the family along with Mom and Carla, but they didn’t take Maddy because they only wanted healthy people. She writes... (full context)

...her house with French food. It’s so special that even Carla eats with Maddy and Mom. Mom always makes cassoulet, a French stew and Maddy’s dad’s favorite food, but because of... (full context)

A few minutes later, when Maddy isn’t eating as quickly as usual, Mom worriedly feels her forehead. The doorbell rings, an unusual occurrence. Mom goes to get it... (full context)

...recipe and asking what Maddy’s middle initial stands for. Maddy replies that it’s for Furukawa; Mom is Japanese American and Maddy’s dad was African American. Olly declares that they’re going to... (full context)

...here. This is only the third time Maddy has met him, and Maddy suspects that Mom let him come this time because she still feels bad about turning Kara and Olly... (full context)

...get decontaminated and sit far away from her for 15 minutes. Carla points out that Mom won’t allow it, but Maddy says they don’t have to tell her. Disappointed, Carla asks... (full context)

...to the mirror. She likes to think that she looks like an equal split of Mom and Maddy’s dad, with warm brown skin and big wavy hair. She experiments with smiling... (full context)

...T-shirt in every color to see what her best color really is. Maddy asks if Mom already left and changes her shirt for something to do. She wishes she could talk... (full context)

...that a trucker killed Maddy’s dad and brother in a car accident, and settled with Mom. Maddy says she doesn’t remember them and struggles with how to miss them. Olly asks... (full context)

...Olly is catching up with her. She’s fallen asleep during two movie nights, which makes Mom worry—Maddy is more likely to get sick if she doesn’t get enough sleep. Maddy talks... (full context)

As Maddy watches Mission: Impossible, Carla says that Mom wants to know if Carla has noticed anything different about Maddy. Maddy ignores Carla and... (full context)

...asks if love really won’t kill her. Carla says it won’t, but it might kill Mom. She relents and agrees to let Maddy see Olly again. Maddy spends the next day... (full context)

...8:00 that evening, Maddy logs onto the instant messenger and tells Olly that she told Mom she has lots of homework. She says that she’s not sick, but she admits that... (full context)

That evening, Maddy tells Olly that she canceled movie night with Mom. Carla will be upset. Olly says that he’s messing up Maddy’s life and that they... (full context)

Maddy feels like the universe and her subconscious are conspiring against her: she and Mom are playing Phonetic Scrabble and Maddy is winning for the first time ever by playing... (full context)

...stop. It startles him enough to make him go inside. Olly looks pained, but as Mom grabs Maddy’s arm, he fearfully tells her to go back inside. (full context)

Inside, Maddy insists that she’s fine and dodges Mom’s question of why she’d go outside to help a stranger. Mom realizes that Olly isn’t... (full context)

Maddy is almost asleep when Mom opens her bedroom door and sits on Maddy’s bed. Maddy pretends to be asleep. As... (full context)

Maddy wakes up to yelling in her house. Mom berates Carla for letting a stranger into the house and refuses to let Maddy defend... (full context)

Maddy shows the reader her weekly calendar. Mom held interviews for a new nurse, and Nurse Janet is scheduled to start on Monday.... (full context)

...three p.m., and after dinner, Olly and Maddy stare at each other through their windows. Mom refuses to budge on her position, and Nurse Janet leaves another note saying that life... (full context)

...during the day, and then waits for Olly to get home. She hangs out with Mom in the evenings, mimes answers to Olly’s questions, and despairs once more after he goes... (full context)

...car, puts her hand on Olly’s shoulder, and smiles. Maddy is shocked and thinks of Mom—Mom knew this would happen. Maddy wants to size up this girl, but she knows it’s... (full context)

Maddy cancels another mother-daughter night, so Mom stops by her room. Maddy explains that she’s feeling mentally out of sorts as Mom... (full context)

In a letter to Mom, Maddy says that she loves her, and that Mom is kind and selfless—but that Mom... (full context)

Maddy hopes that the beeping of the alarm keypad isn’t loud enough to wake Mom. The door unseals, and Outside, the world is so quiet it seems to roar. The... (full context)

...stare and asks Maddy how she’s feeling. Olly mentions the pills and Maddy admits that Mom doesn’t know about them. Carla looks at Maddy in a way that conveys she doesn’t... (full context)

...nothing of Mexico. However, she suggests that regretting is part of living. Maddy thinks of Mom all alone and then pushes the thoughts away. (full context)

...get herself macadamia nuts and a dress. Olly asks what she’s going to get for Mom. This stumps Maddy, as she thinks that nothing will be good enough for the woman... (full context)

...asks Maddy what’s wrong with her parents. Maddy can’t come up with anything wrong with Mom, except that she’s probably dying from worry. Maddy says that Mom always puts her first,... (full context)

...clarifies that he’s asking about her illness. Truthfully, Maddy says she’s fine. She quickly sends Mom an email asking her not to come, saying she’s fine, and insisting that it’s her... (full context)

...wants him to stop crying—he’s going to be fine. She hears him say something about Mom and she hopes that Mom is coming. Maddy’s heart stops and starts again. (full context)

...the ambulance, receiving adrenaline shots, and the hospital. She remembers the smell of the airport, Mom crying, and Olly’s look of sadness, relief, and love. Maddy knows she’s going home and... (full context)

Mom transforms Maddy’s bedroom into a hospital room. She’s there every time Maddy wakes up and... (full context)

...her life in this bubble now that she knows what she’s missing and fixates on Mom’s desperate look. Maddy reasons that loving someone like Mom loves her must be terrible. She... (full context)

One evening, Maddy logs onto the instant messenger. Olly is worried, says that Mom won’t let him visit, and tells Maddy that she doesn’t have to thank him for... (full context)

...existential and nihilist books, doesn’t think about Olly, and resumes her classes after four weeks. Mom hovers worriedly and seems to want things to go back to the way they were... (full context)

...fault. Maddy dissolves into tears for an hour. When she’s done crying, Carla asks about Mom. Maddy says that Mom doesn’t hate her, and Carla insists that mothers don’t know how... (full context)

...Francis suggests that Maddy get another doctor to verify the attached test results, as physicians—like Mom—should never practice on their families. She believes that in Hawaii, Maddy experienced a myocarditis episode... (full context)

...the tests. She knows it’s a mistake, but she still takes the printout down to Mom. Maddy finds Mom in her bedroom, and Mom’s face lights up. She asks if Maddy... (full context)

Maddy repeats herself. Mom sits down, invites Maddy to sit next to her, and softly says that it’s not... (full context)

...the test results, and rather than dismiss them, she asks if Maddy showed them to Mom. Maddy whispers that Mom insisted it was a mistake. After a minute, Carla says they... (full context)

...just needs to fall asleep, but she thinks again and again of Carla saying that Mom is unwell. It’s one a.m. Carla will return in seven hours, and they’re going to... (full context)

...Virus (RSV). After that, the records change. She finds a printout on RSV on which Mom circled that it’s more severe in people with compromised immune systems, and she finds the... (full context)

Maddy can’t believe it. She feels as though her illness was invented and wonders if Mom has more records in her bedroom. Just as she turns to leave, Mom enters the... (full context)

...thinks that she’s never been sick. She feels like she’s struggling in an ocean as Mom comes outside and fearfully tells Maddy to go back inside because she’s sick and something... (full context)

...again in an instant. Over the next four days, Maddy does homework and doesn’t read. Mom walks around and seems to understand that she should be sorry for something, but she... (full context)

...next few days looking for anything that might explain what happened to her and to Mom. She wants to see how and why Mom went mad, but Mom is in no... (full context)

...to Olly sharing the news and saying she misses him, but she doesn’t send them. Mom tries to enter Maddy’s room, but the door is locked and Maddy won’t open it.... (full context)

In a transcript from Mom’s session with a psychiatrist, the psychiatrist notes that Mom is able to recount what happened... (full context)

...Carla says she might go back to work at a hospital and has already told Mom she’s leaving. Mom thanked her for caring for Maddy, which makes Maddy scowl. Carla encourages... (full context)

Another week later, Mom knocks on Maddy’s door. Maddy ignores her. She feels resentful as Mom knocks again, as... (full context)

...love with Olly. Maddy thinks that if she could find the moment, she could fix Mom and understand where she is now. Maddy composes an email to Olly saying that by... (full context)

...ordered as it looks. Dr. Chase isn’t thrilled with Maddy’s choice to fly, but fortunately Mom didn’t try to stop Maddy. Maddy tries to put herself in Mom’s shoes and figure... (full context)