Feed

Feed

by

M. T. Anderson

Violet Durn Character Analysis

Violet Durn is, along with Titus, one of the novel’s two main characters. An unusually thoughtful young woman, she was homeschooled her entire life, and only got her feed implanted at the age of seven (which is unusually late in life). Largely for these reasons, Violet is depicted as being more imaginative, compassionate, and emotionally mature than Titus and his friends. However, Violet is also depicted as being desperate to fit in with the “normal” kids like Titus. In some ways, she despises these people, but she nevertheless wants to be accepted by them, and it’s for this reason that Violet falls for Titus: he’s a charming, spoiled, upper-class kid, but he’s also unusually thoughtful and even poetic, qualities which Violet admires and nurtures in him. In the second half of the novel, Violet’s health takes a turn for the worse when her feed begins malfunctioning, threatening to end her life altogether. As her health declines, Violet turns to Titus for help and emotional support, only to realize that Titus is reluctant or unable to give her the kind of care and love she desires. Throughout the book, Violet acts as the voice of reason in a sea of brainwashed consumers, pointing out when Titus and his friends are being obscenely rude, immature, or spoiled. One could even say that Violet is the character with the most in common with M.T. Anderson himself, since she knows that the consumerist culture is a plague, but she’s also fascinated by this culture.

Violet Durn Quotes in Feed

The Feed quotes below are all either spoken by Violet Durn or refer to Violet Durn. 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:
Corporations and Consumerism Theme Icon
).
Part 2: The Garden Quotes

She rubbed my head, and she went, "You're the only one of them that uses metaphor."
She was staring at me, and I was staring at her, and I moved toward her, and we kissed.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: The Others in Mal Quotes

I feel like we're the only two of us who like remember the, like, the thing.

People want to forget.
You can't blame them.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker)
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Lose the Chemise Quotes

What I've been doing over the feed for the last two days, is trying to create a customer profile that's so screwed, no one can market to it. I'm not going to let them catalog me. I'm going to become invisible.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker), Titus
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Lift Quotes

"He was beaten to death at the club. We saw it. The police, remember? They beat him over the head."
She reached out and took my arm.
My father walked toward us across the pavement, waving. The plastic flags were flapping in the artificial wind while Muzak came out of heaven.

I bought the Dodge.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: A Day in the Country Quotes

She said she had a theory that everything was better if you delayed it. She had this whole thing about self-control, okay, and the importance of self-control. For example, she said, when she bought something, she wouldn't let herself order it for a long time. Then she would just go to the purchase site and show it to herself. Then she'd let herself get fed the sense-sim, you know, she'd let herself know how it would feel, or what it would smell like. Then she would go away and wouldn't look for a week.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 143
Explanation and Analysis:

You know, I think death is shallower now. It used to be a hole you fell into and kept falling. Now it's just a blank.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: The Real Thing Quotes

"This top is the Watts Riot top."
Violet said, "I can never keep any of the riots straight. Which one was the Watts riot?"
Calista and Loga stopped and looked at her. I could feel them flashing chat.
"Like, a riot," said Calista. "I don't know, Violet. Like, when people start breaking windows and beating each other up, and they have to call in the cops. A riot. You know. Riot?"

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker), Calista (speaker), Loga
Page Number: 163
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Limbo and Prayer Quotes

So he's the genetic clone of Abraham Lincoln.
Yeah.
Abraham Lincoln.
That’s what I said.
Tell me what he’s doing now.
Eh . . . the limbo. With the coaxial cable.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker), Link Arwaker
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Flat Hope Quotes

The only thing worse than the thought it may all come tumbling down is the thought that we may go on like this forever.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Our Duty to the Party Quotes

Violet was screaming, "Look at us! You don't hate the feed! You are feed! You're feed! You're being eaten! You're raised for food! Look at what you've made yourselves!" She pointed at Quendy, and went, "She’s a monster! A monster!"

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker), Quendy
Related Symbols: Feed, Lesions
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 80.9% Quotes

14. I want to get older.
15. I want to see the years pass.
16. Sometime, I want to wear a cardigan and have a golden retriever named … I don’t know.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker)
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 231
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 76.3% Quotes

You are such a shithead. You don't know what happened to me this morning. And the news. Titus—this morning . . I can't believe in the middle of all this, you went and got malfunctioned. You are such an asshole and a shithead.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker), Titus
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 242
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 59.3% Quotes

I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. I filled a glass. I looked at the window over the sink.
I deleted everything she had sent me.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 254
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 57.2% Quotes

I didn't want to be called her hero.
I looked at her, and she was smiling like she was broken.
I reached down, and turned up the fan in the climate control.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Page Number: 263
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 4.6% Quotes

"It's about this meg normal guy, who doesn't think about anything until one wacky day, when he meets a dissident with a heart of gold." I said, "Set against the backdrop of America in its final days, it's the high-spirited story of their love together, it's laugh-out-loud funny, really heartwarming, and a visual feast." I picked up her hand and held it to my lips. I whispered to her fingers. "Together, the two crazy kids grow, have madcap escapades, and learn an important lesson about love. They learn to resist the feed. Rated PG-13. For language," I whispered, "and mild sexual situations."
I sat in her room, by her side, and she stared at the ceiling. I held her hand. On a screen, her heart was barely beating.
I could see my face, crying, in her blank eye.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 297-298
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Feed LitChart as a printable PDF.
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Violet Durn Quotes in Feed

The Feed quotes below are all either spoken by Violet Durn or refer to Violet Durn. 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:
Corporations and Consumerism Theme Icon
).
Part 2: The Garden Quotes

She rubbed my head, and she went, "You're the only one of them that uses metaphor."
She was staring at me, and I was staring at her, and I moved toward her, and we kissed.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: The Others in Mal Quotes

I feel like we're the only two of us who like remember the, like, the thing.

People want to forget.
You can't blame them.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker)
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Lose the Chemise Quotes

What I've been doing over the feed for the last two days, is trying to create a customer profile that's so screwed, no one can market to it. I'm not going to let them catalog me. I'm going to become invisible.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker), Titus
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Lift Quotes

"He was beaten to death at the club. We saw it. The police, remember? They beat him over the head."
She reached out and took my arm.
My father walked toward us across the pavement, waving. The plastic flags were flapping in the artificial wind while Muzak came out of heaven.

I bought the Dodge.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: A Day in the Country Quotes

She said she had a theory that everything was better if you delayed it. She had this whole thing about self-control, okay, and the importance of self-control. For example, she said, when she bought something, she wouldn't let herself order it for a long time. Then she would just go to the purchase site and show it to herself. Then she'd let herself get fed the sense-sim, you know, she'd let herself know how it would feel, or what it would smell like. Then she would go away and wouldn't look for a week.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 143
Explanation and Analysis:

You know, I think death is shallower now. It used to be a hole you fell into and kept falling. Now it's just a blank.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker)
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: The Real Thing Quotes

"This top is the Watts Riot top."
Violet said, "I can never keep any of the riots straight. Which one was the Watts riot?"
Calista and Loga stopped and looked at her. I could feel them flashing chat.
"Like, a riot," said Calista. "I don't know, Violet. Like, when people start breaking windows and beating each other up, and they have to call in the cops. A riot. You know. Riot?"

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker), Calista (speaker), Loga
Page Number: 163
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Limbo and Prayer Quotes

So he's the genetic clone of Abraham Lincoln.
Yeah.
Abraham Lincoln.
That’s what I said.
Tell me what he’s doing now.
Eh . . . the limbo. With the coaxial cable.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker), Link Arwaker
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Flat Hope Quotes

The only thing worse than the thought it may all come tumbling down is the thought that we may go on like this forever.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Our Duty to the Party Quotes

Violet was screaming, "Look at us! You don't hate the feed! You are feed! You're feed! You're being eaten! You're raised for food! Look at what you've made yourselves!" She pointed at Quendy, and went, "She’s a monster! A monster!"

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn (speaker), Quendy
Related Symbols: Feed, Lesions
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 80.9% Quotes

14. I want to get older.
15. I want to see the years pass.
16. Sometime, I want to wear a cardigan and have a golden retriever named … I don’t know.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker)
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 231
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 76.3% Quotes

You are such a shithead. You don't know what happened to me this morning. And the news. Titus—this morning . . I can't believe in the middle of all this, you went and got malfunctioned. You are such an asshole and a shithead.

Related Characters: Violet Durn (speaker), Titus
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 242
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 59.3% Quotes

I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. I filled a glass. I looked at the window over the sink.
I deleted everything she had sent me.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 254
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 57.2% Quotes

I didn't want to be called her hero.
I looked at her, and she was smiling like she was broken.
I reached down, and turned up the fan in the climate control.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Page Number: 263
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: 4.6% Quotes

"It's about this meg normal guy, who doesn't think about anything until one wacky day, when he meets a dissident with a heart of gold." I said, "Set against the backdrop of America in its final days, it's the high-spirited story of their love together, it's laugh-out-loud funny, really heartwarming, and a visual feast." I picked up her hand and held it to my lips. I whispered to her fingers. "Together, the two crazy kids grow, have madcap escapades, and learn an important lesson about love. They learn to resist the feed. Rated PG-13. For language," I whispered, "and mild sexual situations."
I sat in her room, by her side, and she stared at the ceiling. I held her hand. On a screen, her heart was barely beating.
I could see my face, crying, in her blank eye.

Related Characters: Titus (speaker), Violet Durn
Related Symbols: Feed
Page Number: 297-298
Explanation and Analysis: