Ghost

by

Jason Reynolds

Terri Cranshaw Character Analysis

Terri Cranshaw is Ghost’s mother. She works hard to provide for Ghost, putting in long shifts at the hospital cafeteria during the day and studying to be a nurse in the evenings. Terri is a compassionate mother who worries about Ghost but gives him a lot of freedom and trusts him to make the right decisions.

Terri Cranshaw Quotes in Ghost

The Ghost quotes below are all either spoken by Terri Cranshaw or refer to Terri Cranshaw. 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:
Running and Trauma Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

It was three years ago when my dad lost it. When the liquor made him meaner than he’d ever been. Every other night he would become a different person, like he’d morph into someone crazy, but this one night my mother decided to finally fight back.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:

I haven’t seen my dad since. Ma said the cops said that when they got to the house, he was sitting outside on the steps, shirtless, with the pistol beside him, guzzling beer, eating sunflower seeds, waiting. Like he wanted to get caught. Like it was no big deal. They gave him ten years in prison, and to be honest, I don’t know if I’m happy about that or not. Sometimes, I wish he would’ve gotten forever in jail. Other times, I wish he was home on the couch, watching the game, shaking seeds in his hand. Either way, one thing is for sure: that was the night I learned how to run.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

Where I live. Where I live. When anyone ever asks about where I live, I get weird because people always treat you funny when they find out you stay in a certain kind of neighborhood. But I was used to people treating me funny. When your clothes are two sizes too big, and you got on no-name sneakers, and your mother cuts your hair and it looks like your mother cuts your hair, you get used to people treating you funny.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Terri Cranshaw
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

“I ain’t saying that. I’ve definitely been scared of somebody before. Real scared,” I added, thinking about how loud a gun sounds when it’s fired in a small room. “That’s how come I know how to run so fast. But now, the only person I’m scared of, other than my mother . . . I mean, like I do things, I know ain’t cool, but even though I know they ain’t cool, like beating on Brandon, all of a sudden I’m doing it anyway, y’know? So I guess . . . I guess the only other person I’m really scared of, maybe . . . is me.”

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Brandon Simmons, Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 51
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

“You know who’s really tired, son? Your principal.” Coach put his hands up, palms facing me as if to stop me from even thinking about responding. Then he continued, “No, no. You know who’s really, really tired? Your mother. She’s so tired. So tired. And she’s gonna be even more exhausted when she hears about your suspension.”

Related Characters: Otis Brody (speaker), Castle Cranshaw/Ghost, Brandon Simmons, Terri Cranshaw, Principal Marshall, Ghost’s Father
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

I was literally shaking with embarrassment, like my insides had turned into ice. Ice that was cracking.

I wanted to break the desk.

Or flip it over.

Scream. Something. Anything.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Brandon Simmons, Terri Cranshaw
Related Symbols: Shoes
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:

At first, I wasn’t going to do it. I mean, when I went into the store, it was a thought, but only a thought. Not even like a real, real thought either, because I knew that I could just ask my mother to get them for me, and she would because she felt like this track thing was gonna keep me out of trouble. But when I saw how much they cost . . . I just couldn’t ask her for them.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Terri Cranshaw
Related Symbols: Shoes
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:

So I banged. Still nothing. Then I started trippin’. Like how when you at the swimming pool on the hottest day of summer, and you jump in and it’s cool, and then you take one step too far and suddenly you’re in the deep end, and things ain’t so cool no more. Because you can’t swim. That’s how I felt. Like I was drowning. Like I was filling up with water. Like this place, this weird little room that had saved my life, now felt like it was gonna take it.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Terri Cranshaw, Mr. Charles, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

I just told him that my mother had gotten them for me as a way to encourage me to do the right thing and stay out of trouble. Just saying it turned my stomach, because here I was, a boy who was suspended for busting somebody in the face at school one day, and skipped half the day the next because I was laughed at. Then I swiped shoes!

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Terri Cranshaw
Related Symbols: Shoes
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

“My dad’s in jail for trying to shoot me and my mother,” I blurted. And before anyone could say anything, I held my hands out for my utensils.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Lu, Sunny, Patina/Patty, Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Page Number: 132-133
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Ghost LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ghost PDF

Terri Cranshaw Quotes in Ghost

The Ghost quotes below are all either spoken by Terri Cranshaw or refer to Terri Cranshaw. 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:
Running and Trauma Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

It was three years ago when my dad lost it. When the liquor made him meaner than he’d ever been. Every other night he would become a different person, like he’d morph into someone crazy, but this one night my mother decided to finally fight back.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:

I haven’t seen my dad since. Ma said the cops said that when they got to the house, he was sitting outside on the steps, shirtless, with the pistol beside him, guzzling beer, eating sunflower seeds, waiting. Like he wanted to get caught. Like it was no big deal. They gave him ten years in prison, and to be honest, I don’t know if I’m happy about that or not. Sometimes, I wish he would’ve gotten forever in jail. Other times, I wish he was home on the couch, watching the game, shaking seeds in his hand. Either way, one thing is for sure: that was the night I learned how to run.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

Where I live. Where I live. When anyone ever asks about where I live, I get weird because people always treat you funny when they find out you stay in a certain kind of neighborhood. But I was used to people treating me funny. When your clothes are two sizes too big, and you got on no-name sneakers, and your mother cuts your hair and it looks like your mother cuts your hair, you get used to people treating you funny.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Terri Cranshaw
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

“I ain’t saying that. I’ve definitely been scared of somebody before. Real scared,” I added, thinking about how loud a gun sounds when it’s fired in a small room. “That’s how come I know how to run so fast. But now, the only person I’m scared of, other than my mother . . . I mean, like I do things, I know ain’t cool, but even though I know they ain’t cool, like beating on Brandon, all of a sudden I’m doing it anyway, y’know? So I guess . . . I guess the only other person I’m really scared of, maybe . . . is me.”

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Brandon Simmons, Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 51
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

“You know who’s really tired, son? Your principal.” Coach put his hands up, palms facing me as if to stop me from even thinking about responding. Then he continued, “No, no. You know who’s really, really tired? Your mother. She’s so tired. So tired. And she’s gonna be even more exhausted when she hears about your suspension.”

Related Characters: Otis Brody (speaker), Castle Cranshaw/Ghost, Brandon Simmons, Terri Cranshaw, Principal Marshall, Ghost’s Father
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

I was literally shaking with embarrassment, like my insides had turned into ice. Ice that was cracking.

I wanted to break the desk.

Or flip it over.

Scream. Something. Anything.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Brandon Simmons, Terri Cranshaw
Related Symbols: Shoes
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:

At first, I wasn’t going to do it. I mean, when I went into the store, it was a thought, but only a thought. Not even like a real, real thought either, because I knew that I could just ask my mother to get them for me, and she would because she felt like this track thing was gonna keep me out of trouble. But when I saw how much they cost . . . I just couldn’t ask her for them.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Terri Cranshaw
Related Symbols: Shoes
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:

So I banged. Still nothing. Then I started trippin’. Like how when you at the swimming pool on the hottest day of summer, and you jump in and it’s cool, and then you take one step too far and suddenly you’re in the deep end, and things ain’t so cool no more. Because you can’t swim. That’s how I felt. Like I was drowning. Like I was filling up with water. Like this place, this weird little room that had saved my life, now felt like it was gonna take it.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Terri Cranshaw, Mr. Charles, Ghost’s Father
Related Symbols: Gunshots
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

I just told him that my mother had gotten them for me as a way to encourage me to do the right thing and stay out of trouble. Just saying it turned my stomach, because here I was, a boy who was suspended for busting somebody in the face at school one day, and skipped half the day the next because I was laughed at. Then I swiped shoes!

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Terri Cranshaw
Related Symbols: Shoes
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

“My dad’s in jail for trying to shoot me and my mother,” I blurted. And before anyone could say anything, I held my hands out for my utensils.

Related Characters: Castle Cranshaw/Ghost (speaker), Otis Brody, Lu, Sunny, Patina/Patty, Terri Cranshaw, Ghost’s Father
Page Number: 132-133
Explanation and Analysis: