Jimmie’s Dad Character Analysis in The Bone Sparrow

Jimmie’s dad is a kind and loving father to Jimmie and Jonah, though Jimmie notes that he’s become a depressed shell of his former self since his wife, Jimmie’s mum, died. He’s emotionally absent and is physically absent as well, since he works a job that takes him away from his home and children for days at a time. This means that he’s not around to be a supportive presence in Jimmie’s life—and when he is around, he doesn’t always notice when things are wrong. However, he ultimately gets a job at Jimmie’s school, which will allow the family some stability and will mean that Jimmie will be able to attend school more regularly.

Jimmie’s Dad Quotes in The Bone Sparrow

The The Bone Sparrow quotes below are all either spoken by Jimmie’s Dad or refer to Jimmie’s Dad. 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:

Dehumanization, Invisibility, and Refugee Camps Theme Icon

).

Jimmie wants to ask more. Wants to find out how they can help, so that no one has to sew their lips together. Wants to know why they have been locked up in there for so long. Why no one is listening. Why it is illegal for people to try to save their families. Why it is illegal to want to live. Jimmie wants to know.

But her dad has already slid the paper across the table and is flicking through to the sports pages.

Related Characters: Subhi, Queeny, Eli, Jimmie, Jimmie’s Dad

Page Number and Citation: 182

Explanation and Analysis: