Della is Jack Boughton’s wife. A young Black woman and prominent minister’s daughter, she used to be a teacher in St. Louis, where she and Jack met by chance one day and befriended each other. Della’s family doesn’t approve of her relationship with Jack, especially her father, who believes that most white men are atheists. Nevertheless, she and Jack try to build a life together in St. Louis, flouting Missouri’s laws against interracial marriage. It’s incredibly difficult, and in the end, she chooses to let Jack go and to stay in Memphis with their son Robert and her family.
Della Miles Quotes in Gilead
The Gilead quotes below are all either spoken by Della Miles or refer to Della Miles. 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:
).
Pages 217-232
Quotes
“We are married in the eyes of God, as they say. Who does not provide a certificate, but who also does not enforce anti-miscegenation laws. The Deus Absconditus at His most benign. Sorry.” He smiled. “In the eyes of God we have been man and wife for about eight years. We have lived as man and wife a total of seventeen months, two weeks, and a day.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Della Miles Quotes in Gilead
The Gilead quotes below are all either spoken by Della Miles or refer to Della Miles. 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:
).
Pages 217-232
Quotes
“We are married in the eyes of God, as they say. Who does not provide a certificate, but who also does not enforce anti-miscegenation laws. The Deus Absconditus at His most benign. Sorry.” He smiled. “In the eyes of God we have been man and wife for about eight years. We have lived as man and wife a total of seventeen months, two weeks, and a day.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
