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Maire O’Donnell
Madge is the O’Donnell’s housekeeper who has worked for the family for many years, watching Gar grow from a boy into a man. Unlike S.B., she’s talkative and has a kindly disposition, though she resents it when Gar tries to squeeze information out of her regarding his father and mother’s relationship. Still, she tells Gar about what Maire was like before she died, providing him with some of the only information he has about his mother. As for her own life, Madge’s niece has just had a child and has promised to name it after her. When Madge finally leaves the O’Donnell residence to see her new grandniece, though, she learns that her niece decided to name the baby Brigid instead. Frustrated but understanding, she returns to the O’Donnell household, where she listens to S.B. finally open up about his fondness for Gar—something that Gar himself unfortunately does not hear. Shortly thereafter, S.B. leaves and Gar enters once more, at which point Madge goes to bed. As she exits the room, Gar watches her go and thinks about how the image of her walking away will remain with him for his entire life, since he’ll remember all the emotions he felt on his last night at home.
Madge Quotes in Philadelphia, Here I Come!
The Philadelphia, Here I Come! quotes below are all either spoken by Madge or refer to Madge. 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:
).
Episode I
Quotes
Public: Whether he says good-bye to me or not, or whether he slips me a few miserable quid or not, it’s a matter of total indifference to me, Madge.
Madge: Aye, so. Your tea’s on the table—but that’s a matter of total indifference to me.
Public: Give me time to wash, will you?
Madge: And another thing: just because he doesn’t say much doesn’t mean that he hasn’t feelings like the rest of us.
Public: Say much? He’s said nothing!
Madge: He said nothing either when your mother died.
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Screwballs, we’ve eaten together like this for the past twenty-odd years, and never once in all that time have you made as much as one unpredictable remark. Now, even though you refuse to acknowledge the fact, Screwballs, I’m leaving you for ever. I’m going to Philadelphia, to work in an hotel. And you know why I’m going. Screwballs, don’t you. Because I’m twenty-five, and you treat me as if I were five—I can’t order even a dozen loaves without getting your permission. Because you pay me less than you pay Madge. But worse, far worse than that Screwballs, because—we embarrass one another. If one of us were to say, ‘You’re looking tired’ or ‘That’s a bad cough you have’, the other would fall over backways with embarrassment.
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Episode III, Part Two
Quotes
I can see him, with his shoulders back, and the wee head up straight, and the mouth, aw, man, as set, and says he this morning, I can hear him saying it, says he, ‘I’m not going to school. I’m going into my daddy’s business’—you know—all important—and, d’you mind, you tried to coax him to go to school, and not a move you could get out of him, and him as manly looking, and this wee sailor suit as smart looking on him, and—and—and at the heel of the hunt I had to go with him myself, the two of us, hand in hand, as happy as larks—we were that happy, Madge—and him dancing and chatting beside me—mind?—you couldn’t get a word in edge-ways with all the chatting he used to go through…
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Get the entire Philadelphia, Here I Come! LitChart as a printable PDF.
Madge Quotes in Philadelphia, Here I Come!
The Philadelphia, Here I Come! quotes below are all either spoken by Madge or refer to Madge. 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:
).
Episode I
Quotes
Public: Whether he says good-bye to me or not, or whether he slips me a few miserable quid or not, it’s a matter of total indifference to me, Madge.
Madge: Aye, so. Your tea’s on the table—but that’s a matter of total indifference to me.
Public: Give me time to wash, will you?
Madge: And another thing: just because he doesn’t say much doesn’t mean that he hasn’t feelings like the rest of us.
Public: Say much? He’s said nothing!
Madge: He said nothing either when your mother died.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Screwballs, we’ve eaten together like this for the past twenty-odd years, and never once in all that time have you made as much as one unpredictable remark. Now, even though you refuse to acknowledge the fact, Screwballs, I’m leaving you for ever. I’m going to Philadelphia, to work in an hotel. And you know why I’m going. Screwballs, don’t you. Because I’m twenty-five, and you treat me as if I were five—I can’t order even a dozen loaves without getting your permission. Because you pay me less than you pay Madge. But worse, far worse than that Screwballs, because—we embarrass one another. If one of us were to say, ‘You’re looking tired’ or ‘That’s a bad cough you have’, the other would fall over backways with embarrassment.
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Episode III, Part Two
Quotes
I can see him, with his shoulders back, and the wee head up straight, and the mouth, aw, man, as set, and says he this morning, I can hear him saying it, says he, ‘I’m not going to school. I’m going into my daddy’s business’—you know—all important—and, d’you mind, you tried to coax him to go to school, and not a move you could get out of him, and him as manly looking, and this wee sailor suit as smart looking on him, and—and—and at the heel of the hunt I had to go with him myself, the two of us, hand in hand, as happy as larks—we were that happy, Madge—and him dancing and chatting beside me—mind?—you couldn’t get a word in edge-ways with all the chatting he used to go through…
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