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Virgil
Florence is Howard’s niece, and Francis’s mother. She is the only female villain in the novel—the only woman without a redeeming moment. When Noemí arrives at High Place, Florence strictly enforces the conventions of the home: no smoking, silence during dinner, etc. But she has not always been the cruel arbiter of domestic power. When she was young, Florence was as much a victim as any of the women in High Place; Howard raped her in order to conceive a child. His attempt at conception failed, so he sent Florence away to find a husband. She met Richard, and she dreamed that he would change her or rescue her from her family. But Richard started to slowly lose his mind when he became infected with the fungus, and Florence became convinced that it’s impossible to deny one’s nature. Though she’s oppressed in High Place, Florence decides it’s easier to live under a sexist system than to fight it. The only space she’s allowed authority is in the domestic realm, and she often sternly employs that authority as a way to assert herself in a system that has eroded her autonomy.
Florence Quotes in Mexican Gothic
The Mexican Gothic quotes below are all either spoken by Florence or refer to Florence. 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:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
The Doyles’ silver collection was quite staggering, each shelf lined with salvers, tea sets, bowls, and candlesticks that sat dusty and dull behind glass. A lone person could not hope to tackle this whole task alone, but Noemí was determined to prove herself in front of this woman.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“When I was younger, I thought the world outside held such promise and wonders. I even went away for a bit and met a dashing young man. I thought he’d take me away, that he would change everything, change me,” Florence said, her face softened for the briefest moment. “But there’s no denying our natures. I was meant to live and die in High Place. Let Francis be. He’s accepted his lot in this life. It’s easier this way.”
Get the entire Mexican Gothic LitChart as a printable PDF.
Florence Quotes in Mexican Gothic
The Mexican Gothic quotes below are all either spoken by Florence or refer to Florence. 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:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
The Doyles’ silver collection was quite staggering, each shelf lined with salvers, tea sets, bowls, and candlesticks that sat dusty and dull behind glass. A lone person could not hope to tackle this whole task alone, but Noemí was determined to prove herself in front of this woman.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“When I was younger, I thought the world outside held such promise and wonders. I even went away for a bit and met a dashing young man. I thought he’d take me away, that he would change everything, change me,” Florence said, her face softened for the briefest moment. “But there’s no denying our natures. I was meant to live and die in High Place. Let Francis be. He’s accepted his lot in this life. It’s easier this way.”
