I’ll Give You the Sun

by

Jandy Nelson

Oscar Ralph / The English Guy Character Analysis

Guillermo’s assistant, Oscar, is a university student and former wild child whose path crosses with both Noah’s and Jude’s at different times in the twins’ lives. When Oscar meets Noah, Noah never learns the young man’s name—Oscar is simply the cool, beautiful model for the life drawing classes at CSA. When Noah begins spying on the classes, he meets Oscar, and watches as Oscar is fired for drinking on the job. Years later, Jude meets Oscar in a church, and the two are instantly mesmerized by one another. Oscar, a fledgling photographer, is desperate to take Jude’s photograph despite her protestations. She is on her “boy boycott,” and gets away from Oscar as quickly as possible. When they run into one another again at Guillermo Garcia’s studio—and Jude realizes that Oscar is Garcia’s assistant—it becomes clear that a little bit of destiny is in the mix. Over the course of Jude’s apprenticeship with Garcia, she and Oscar flirt back and forth—though both are afraid to jump headfirst into anything. Ultimately, Oscar confesses his intense feelings for Jude, and reveals that his long-deceased mother once predicted he would meet his soulmate in a church. Oscar’s devil-may-care personality, crooked good looks, and belief in fate, destiny, and magic draw Jude in, but it is his heartfelt investment in her happiness and well-being that eventually shows her how right they are for one another.

Oscar Ralph / The English Guy Quotes in I’ll Give You the Sun

The I’ll Give You the Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Oscar Ralph / The English Guy or refer to Oscar Ralph / The English Guy. 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:
Identity and Codependency  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

“[Oscar] didn’t save my life and it doesn’t matter how high it is.” [Noah is] getting drunker by the minute, talking with two tongues now. “It’s Mom who keeps me up. It’s like I have a parachute on. Like I can practically fly.” He makes a slow swoosh with his hand through the air. “I sail all the way down so incredibly slowly. Every time.”

My mouth falls open. Yes, he does. I’ve seen it.

This is why he keeps jumping then, so Mom will break his fall?

Related Characters: Noah Sweetwine (speaker), Jude Sweetwine (speaker), Dianna Sweetwine / Mom, Oscar Ralph / The English Guy
Page Number: 322
Explanation and Analysis:

“Okay. So once upon a time, I saw this cubist portrait my brother did of you and had to have it.” I look at him. “Had to have it. It was love at first sight.” He smiles. “He and I were always playing this game where we’d swap parts of the world for others in a quest for universe domination. He was winning. We’re . . . competitive, that’s the nice way of putting it. Anyway, he didn’t want me to have you. I had to give up almost everything. But it was worth it. I kept you here.” I show him the spot where the picture hung by my bed. “I would stare and stare at you and wish you were real and imagine you coming to that window, just like you did tonight.”

He bursts out laughing. “That’s incredible! We’re absolutely split-aparts.”

“I don’t know if I want a split-apart,” I say honestly. “I think I need my own soul.”

Related Characters: Jude Sweetwine (speaker), Noah Sweetwine, Oscar Ralph / The English Guy
Page Number: 335
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Our connection is still so natural, though now, for me, it’s tinged with guilt because of Dad. I turn back to my clay model, start caressing my mother’s shoulder into shape, her upper arm. “It’s like some part of me knew,” I tell him, working the bend of her elbow. “I don’t know what I knew, but I knew I was supposed to be here. You made me feel better too. So much better. I was so locked in.”

“This is what I think,” he says. “I think maybe Dianna, she break your bowls, so you come find a stone carver.”

I look at him. “Yeah,” I say, the back of my neck tingling. “Me too.”

Because who knows? Who knows anything? Who knows who’s pulling the strings? Or what is? Or how? Who knows if destiny is just how you tell yourself the story of your life? Another son might not have heard his mother’s last words as a prophecy but as drug-induced gibberish, forgotten soon after. Another girl might not have told herself a love story about a drawing her brother made. Who knows if Grandma really thought the first daffodils of spring were lucky or if she just wanted to go on walks with me through the woods? Who knows if she even believed in her bible at all or if she just preferred a world where hope and creativity and faith trump reason? Who knows if there are ghosts (sorry, Grandma) or just the living, breathing memories of your loved ones inside you, speaking to you, trying to get your attention by any means necessary? Who knows where the hell Ralph is? (Sorry, Oscar.) No one knows.

So we grapple with the mysteries, each in our own way.

Related Characters: Jude Sweetwine (speaker), Guillermo Garcia (speaker), Dianna Sweetwine / Mom, Benjamin Sweetwine / Dad, Grandma Sweetwine, Oscar Ralph / The English Guy
Related Symbols: Grandma Sweetwine’s Bible and Aphorisms
Page Number: 369
Explanation and Analysis:
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I’ll Give You the Sun PDF

Oscar Ralph / The English Guy Quotes in I’ll Give You the Sun

The I’ll Give You the Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Oscar Ralph / The English Guy or refer to Oscar Ralph / The English Guy. 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:
Identity and Codependency  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

“[Oscar] didn’t save my life and it doesn’t matter how high it is.” [Noah is] getting drunker by the minute, talking with two tongues now. “It’s Mom who keeps me up. It’s like I have a parachute on. Like I can practically fly.” He makes a slow swoosh with his hand through the air. “I sail all the way down so incredibly slowly. Every time.”

My mouth falls open. Yes, he does. I’ve seen it.

This is why he keeps jumping then, so Mom will break his fall?

Related Characters: Noah Sweetwine (speaker), Jude Sweetwine (speaker), Dianna Sweetwine / Mom, Oscar Ralph / The English Guy
Page Number: 322
Explanation and Analysis:

“Okay. So once upon a time, I saw this cubist portrait my brother did of you and had to have it.” I look at him. “Had to have it. It was love at first sight.” He smiles. “He and I were always playing this game where we’d swap parts of the world for others in a quest for universe domination. He was winning. We’re . . . competitive, that’s the nice way of putting it. Anyway, he didn’t want me to have you. I had to give up almost everything. But it was worth it. I kept you here.” I show him the spot where the picture hung by my bed. “I would stare and stare at you and wish you were real and imagine you coming to that window, just like you did tonight.”

He bursts out laughing. “That’s incredible! We’re absolutely split-aparts.”

“I don’t know if I want a split-apart,” I say honestly. “I think I need my own soul.”

Related Characters: Jude Sweetwine (speaker), Noah Sweetwine, Oscar Ralph / The English Guy
Page Number: 335
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Our connection is still so natural, though now, for me, it’s tinged with guilt because of Dad. I turn back to my clay model, start caressing my mother’s shoulder into shape, her upper arm. “It’s like some part of me knew,” I tell him, working the bend of her elbow. “I don’t know what I knew, but I knew I was supposed to be here. You made me feel better too. So much better. I was so locked in.”

“This is what I think,” he says. “I think maybe Dianna, she break your bowls, so you come find a stone carver.”

I look at him. “Yeah,” I say, the back of my neck tingling. “Me too.”

Because who knows? Who knows anything? Who knows who’s pulling the strings? Or what is? Or how? Who knows if destiny is just how you tell yourself the story of your life? Another son might not have heard his mother’s last words as a prophecy but as drug-induced gibberish, forgotten soon after. Another girl might not have told herself a love story about a drawing her brother made. Who knows if Grandma really thought the first daffodils of spring were lucky or if she just wanted to go on walks with me through the woods? Who knows if she even believed in her bible at all or if she just preferred a world where hope and creativity and faith trump reason? Who knows if there are ghosts (sorry, Grandma) or just the living, breathing memories of your loved ones inside you, speaking to you, trying to get your attention by any means necessary? Who knows where the hell Ralph is? (Sorry, Oscar.) No one knows.

So we grapple with the mysteries, each in our own way.

Related Characters: Jude Sweetwine (speaker), Guillermo Garcia (speaker), Dianna Sweetwine / Mom, Benjamin Sweetwine / Dad, Grandma Sweetwine, Oscar Ralph / The English Guy
Related Symbols: Grandma Sweetwine’s Bible and Aphorisms
Page Number: 369
Explanation and Analysis: