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Mrs. Hadley/Mother
Sephy and Minnie’s father and Mother’s husband, Mr. Hadley is a powerful Cross in government: he’s the home minister. He’s a large, imposing man and is constantly angry and physically violent with his family members, particularly with Mother. It’s only later that Sephy finds out that this is because Mr. Hadley and Mother have been having problems for their entire marriage, as Mr. Hadley had a son before he married Mother whom Mother wouldn’t allow into her home. And Mother had an affair several years before the novel begins, something Mr. Hadley considers an unspeakable offense and continues to punish her for with his absence, verbal cruelty, and physical violence. Mr. Hadley cares much more about his work than he does about his family members—indeed, Sephy thinks that her father really only had a family at all because it’s a prerequisite for being in the government. Though Sephy realizes her father is violent and checked out, it’s still a shock for her when, one night, she overhears him having a meeting with a nought—and hears him using the slur “blanker” to refer to noughts. He says that he wouldn’t have let noughts into Cross schools if he thought any noughts would get in, and that he only amended the education policy because of international pressure. Again, though, Sephy doesn’t have to think about this much, because her father is chronically absent. It is a shock when he and Mother appear to be ready to divorce, and it’s an even bigger shock when Minnie is able to convince Dad to let Sephy go away to boarding school. After Sephy is kidnapped, and Sephy’s parents discover she’s pregnant, Mr. Hadley tries to pressure her into having an abortion. He disowns her and hits her when she refuses but continues to try to pressure her by promising to save Callum (who’s imprisoned) from being executed. Still, Sephy refuses to give in.
Mr. Kamal Hadley Quotes in Noughts and Crosses
The Noughts and Crosses quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Kamal Hadley or refer to Mr. Kamal Hadley. 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 7
Quotes
Why couldn’t he understand that I hadn’t been talking about him? It was just a word. A word Dad had used. But it was a word that had hurt my best friend. A word that was now hurting me so very, very much.
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Chapter 33
Quotes
“What’re you talking about? She’s got friends dripping out of cupboards,” I scoffed.
“Not close ones. Not real friends that she can tell anything and everything to.”
“She’s probably driven them all away with her funny moods, […] If I didn’t have to live in the same house as her I wouldn’t put up with her either.”
“She’s lonely,” said Minnie.
“Why doesn’t she just go out and make some new friends then?” I asked.
Minnie smiled, one of her superior smiles that instantly ruffled my feathers. “You’re very young, Sephy.”
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Chapter 65
Quotes
“Who’re you trying to convince? Me or yourself?”
And then I did the last thing either of us expected. I burst into tears. My sister put her arm around me then, allowing my head to rest on her shoulder—which just made me feel worse.
“Minerva, I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to, before I explode.”
“Don’t worry. I’m working on it with Dad.”
“Yeah, for yourself. But what about me?”
“No, I’m working on Dad for both of us,” said Minnie.
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Chapter 89
Quotes
I used to comfort myself with the belief that it was only certain individuals and their peculiar notions that spoiled things for the rest of us. But how many individuals does it take before it’s not the individuals who are prejudiced but society itself? And it wasn’t even that most Crosses were prejudiced against noughts. I still didn’t believe that. But everyone seemed to be too afraid to stand up in public and say, “This is wrong.” And by everyone, I meant me included.
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Chapter 113
Quotes
“No, he just raped you and made you pregnant instead,” Dad said bitterly.
“Kamal, please—,” Mother began.
“Callum didn’t rape me. He didn’t.”
“But you’re pregnant, so he must’ve.” Mother frowned.
“I’m pregnant because we made love to each other,” I shouted angrily.
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Mr. Kamal Hadley Quotes in Noughts and Crosses
The Noughts and Crosses quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Kamal Hadley or refer to Mr. Kamal Hadley. 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 7
Quotes
Why couldn’t he understand that I hadn’t been talking about him? It was just a word. A word Dad had used. But it was a word that had hurt my best friend. A word that was now hurting me so very, very much.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33
Quotes
“What’re you talking about? She’s got friends dripping out of cupboards,” I scoffed.
“Not close ones. Not real friends that she can tell anything and everything to.”
“She’s probably driven them all away with her funny moods, […] If I didn’t have to live in the same house as her I wouldn’t put up with her either.”
“She’s lonely,” said Minnie.
“Why doesn’t she just go out and make some new friends then?” I asked.
Minnie smiled, one of her superior smiles that instantly ruffled my feathers. “You’re very young, Sephy.”
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 65
Quotes
“Who’re you trying to convince? Me or yourself?”
And then I did the last thing either of us expected. I burst into tears. My sister put her arm around me then, allowing my head to rest on her shoulder—which just made me feel worse.
“Minerva, I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to, before I explode.”
“Don’t worry. I’m working on it with Dad.”
“Yeah, for yourself. But what about me?”
“No, I’m working on Dad for both of us,” said Minnie.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 89
Quotes
I used to comfort myself with the belief that it was only certain individuals and their peculiar notions that spoiled things for the rest of us. But how many individuals does it take before it’s not the individuals who are prejudiced but society itself? And it wasn’t even that most Crosses were prejudiced against noughts. I still didn’t believe that. But everyone seemed to be too afraid to stand up in public and say, “This is wrong.” And by everyone, I meant me included.
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Chapter 113
Quotes
“No, he just raped you and made you pregnant instead,” Dad said bitterly.
“Kamal, please—,” Mother began.
“Callum didn’t rape me. He didn’t.”
“But you’re pregnant, so he must’ve.” Mother frowned.
“I’m pregnant because we made love to each other,” I shouted angrily.
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