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Fire Spirit/Jack (Levi and Charlotte’s Father)
Levi and Charlotte’s mother dies shortly before the events of Flames take place. It’s clear from Levi and Charlotte’s displays of grief that their mother was a central part of their life—much more so than their father, Jack, is or ever was. During her life, Edith was not only devoted to the natural world, particularly the surroundings of Notley Fern Gorge, but she was also inextricably bound to it through both her relationship with Jack, a fire spirit, and her family’s history of its women being reincarnated with features that echo the landscapes in which their ashes were scattered. However, though Edith and Charlotte share a deep connection to nature, that connection is also the source of the key difference between them. While Edith loved the dark, earthy surroundings of the Gorge, Charlotte feels trapped unless she’s near the ocean, and this contrast suggests that Edith’s more nurturing, protective, and gentle characteristics—echoed by the enclosed gorge—conflict with Charlotte’s affinity with the drama and chaos that the crashing waves represent. Another common quality in both Edith and Charlotte, however, is their desire for freedom and autonomy, which is evident in Edith’s angry response to learning that Jack used his supernatural powers to convince her to love him.
Edith McAllister (Levi and Charlotte’s Mother) Quotes in Flames
The Flames quotes below are all either spoken by Edith McAllister (Levi and Charlotte’s Mother) or refer to Edith McAllister (Levi and Charlotte’s Mother). 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:
).
Sky
Quotes
Charlotte knows he thinks she’s gone crazy—he’s been throwing that jutting look at her every time he’s caught her sobbing in the gullies, flinching at the wind and throbbing in the fields. This look of judgement. This look of control. This look of I need to do something; she needs my help, when really (as far as Charlotte is concerned) he is the one who needs help, because what is she doing but grieving?
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Coal
Quotes
After all these years he was reduced to the same state he was in at the moment the woman, crouching by the riverbank, had first summoned him with the clash of two smooth stones.
So when Charlotte began leaking the fire he’d given her, he did nothing more than watch. When his son started unravelling, he intervened with only half of his flaming heart.
Just like their mother, they would eventually die. And he did not want to be close to them when they did.
Grove
Quotes
The tree ferns blotted the sky and pawed at my face. Worms and beetles churned across the bracken floor. Water throttled in a stream; I was used to it crashing in waves. My mother found calmness there, down in the reaching, shading fronds, but all I found was a lingering distaste for wet soil.
Give me white-chopped seas full of salt and fury.
He blinks. Mum loved this place. He looks up at the canopy. It seemed right.
I take a gamble; with heat pulsing beneath my nails, I reach out. It’s not. But it’s okay. My palm lands on his naked shoulder. We need to leave. I’ll find you some help.
He looks at my hand. I don’t need help. I’m helping you.
Please, Levi. You can help me by coming with me.
You don’t understand.
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Sea
Quotes
I had not cried since I was a small child—not even at our mother’s cremation. But now my howl was joined by a rapid gurgle of other sobs, and tears, and the occasional moan. I didn’t know what was happening to me; I tried to maintain my composure, but failed; I failed as badly as I’d failed my sister. Somehow I ended up on the squeaky floor at the foot of the bed. My throat ached. I was punching the linoleum.
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Edith McAllister (Levi and Charlotte’s Mother) Quotes in Flames
The Flames quotes below are all either spoken by Edith McAllister (Levi and Charlotte’s Mother) or refer to Edith McAllister (Levi and Charlotte’s Mother). 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:
).
Sky
Quotes
Charlotte knows he thinks she’s gone crazy—he’s been throwing that jutting look at her every time he’s caught her sobbing in the gullies, flinching at the wind and throbbing in the fields. This look of judgement. This look of control. This look of I need to do something; she needs my help, when really (as far as Charlotte is concerned) he is the one who needs help, because what is she doing but grieving?
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Coal
Quotes
After all these years he was reduced to the same state he was in at the moment the woman, crouching by the riverbank, had first summoned him with the clash of two smooth stones.
So when Charlotte began leaking the fire he’d given her, he did nothing more than watch. When his son started unravelling, he intervened with only half of his flaming heart.
Just like their mother, they would eventually die. And he did not want to be close to them when they did.
Grove
Quotes
The tree ferns blotted the sky and pawed at my face. Worms and beetles churned across the bracken floor. Water throttled in a stream; I was used to it crashing in waves. My mother found calmness there, down in the reaching, shading fronds, but all I found was a lingering distaste for wet soil.
Give me white-chopped seas full of salt and fury.
He blinks. Mum loved this place. He looks up at the canopy. It seemed right.
I take a gamble; with heat pulsing beneath my nails, I reach out. It’s not. But it’s okay. My palm lands on his naked shoulder. We need to leave. I’ll find you some help.
He looks at my hand. I don’t need help. I’m helping you.
Please, Levi. You can help me by coming with me.
You don’t understand.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Sea
Quotes
I had not cried since I was a small child—not even at our mother’s cremation. But now my howl was joined by a rapid gurgle of other sobs, and tears, and the occasional moan. I didn’t know what was happening to me; I tried to maintain my composure, but failed; I failed as badly as I’d failed my sister. Somehow I ended up on the squeaky floor at the foot of the bed. My throat ached. I was punching the linoleum.
