Messenger

by

Lois Lowry

The Museum Symbol Icon

The museum contains artifacts, such as Leader's red sled, that people bring with them from other settlements. It serves as a reminder of what else is out there in the world and in some cases, why people wanted to come to Village in the first place. In this way, the museum becomes a physical manifestation of the collective memory of Village's residents. Because of the museum's existence, residents are forced to remember why Village's ideals are worth fighting for.

The Museum Quotes in Messenger

The Messenger quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Museum. 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:
Selfishness vs. the Collective Good Theme Icon
).
Chapter Four Quotes

"No. But why would I go back? I had found a home here, the way everyone has. That's why we have the Museum, Matty, to remind us of how we came, and why: to start fresh, and to begin a new place from what we had learned and carried from the old."

Related Characters: Leader (speaker), Matty
Related Symbols: The Museum
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Messenger LitChart as a printable PDF.
Messenger PDF

The Museum Symbol Timeline in Messenger

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Museum appears in Messenger. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Two
Youth, Memory, and the Future Theme Icon
...boy and now, the sled he arrived on is in a glass case in the Museum. (full context)
Selfishness vs. the Collective Good Theme Icon
Youth, Memory, and the Future Theme Icon
The Museum is filled with other "relics of arrival," as everyone who came from outside Village has... (full context)