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The “Redskin” Officer
Dolores’s husband, unnamed throughout the novel, who leaves Bougainville on a mining plane bound for Australia. Matilda is eleven when he departs, and the intention is that she and her mother will join him once he ensures the country can provide economic stability to the family. Before they can do so, though, Papua New Guinea institutes a blockade barring the people of Bougainville from leaving the island. Matilda spends the next several years of her life reconstructing and imagining her father, aided by several postcards he sent that are eventually burned by the “redskin” forces. When Matilda finally escapes the island after her mother’s death, she reconnects with her father in Townsville, Australia. She lives with him there while going to high school. Later, while she attends the University of Queensland, he begins a romantic relationship with Maria, the woman who cleans his house.
Matilda’s Father Quotes in Mr. Pip
The Mr. Pip quotes below are all either spoken by Matilda’s Father or refer to Matilda’s Father. 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 5
Quotes
He smiled. “Matilda is a nice name, too. Where did you get such a pretty one?” he asked.
“My father.”
“And he…?”
I anticipated his question. My dad had worked with Australians up at the mine. They had given him the name Matilda. He had given it to my mum. And she had given it to me. I explained all this.
“A sort of hand-me-down.” Mr. Watts glanced away with the thought. Suddenly he looked gloomy. I don’t know why.
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Chapter 7
Quotes
In our village there were those who supported the rebels—my mum included. Though I suspect her support was nourished by the thought of my father in Townsville living what she called a “fat life.” Everyone else just wished the fighting would go away, and for the white man to come back and reopen the mine. These people missed buying things. They missed having money to buy those things. Biscuits, rice, tinned fish, tinned beef, sugar. We were back to eating what our grandparents had—sweet potatoes, fish, chicken, mango, guava, cassava, nuts, and mud crab.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Matilda’s Father Quotes in Mr. Pip
The Mr. Pip quotes below are all either spoken by Matilda’s Father or refer to Matilda’s Father. 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 5
Quotes
He smiled. “Matilda is a nice name, too. Where did you get such a pretty one?” he asked.
“My father.”
“And he…?”
I anticipated his question. My dad had worked with Australians up at the mine. They had given him the name Matilda. He had given it to my mum. And she had given it to me. I explained all this.
“A sort of hand-me-down.” Mr. Watts glanced away with the thought. Suddenly he looked gloomy. I don’t know why.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
In our village there were those who supported the rebels—my mum included. Though I suspect her support was nourished by the thought of my father in Townsville living what she called a “fat life.” Everyone else just wished the fighting would go away, and for the white man to come back and reopen the mine. These people missed buying things. They missed having money to buy those things. Biscuits, rice, tinned fish, tinned beef, sugar. We were back to eating what our grandparents had—sweet potatoes, fish, chicken, mango, guava, cassava, nuts, and mud crab.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
