Previous
Mary Grimké (Mother / Missus)
Sarah and Nina’s father, a prominent judge in Charleston who is ruined by accusations of bias in his sentences. Before his death of a wasting disease, John admits to Sarah that he too believes slavery is wrong but was never brave enough to speak out against it or give up his privileged lifestyle.
John Grimké (Father) Quotes in The Invention of Wings
The The Invention of Wings quotes below are all either spoken by John Grimké (Father) or refer to John Grimké (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:
).
Part 1
Quotes
Don't let her fall anymore. That's the prayer I said. Missus told us God listened to everybody, even a slave got a piece of God's ear. I carried a picture of God in my head, a white man, bearing a stick like missus or going round dodging slaves the way master Grimké did, acting like he'd sired a world where they don’t exist. I couldn’t see him lifting a finger to help.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3
Quotes
"Forgive you for what, Sarah? For following your conscience? Do you think I don’t abhor slavery as you do? Do you think I don’t know it was greed that kept me from following my conscience as you have? The plantation, the house, our entire way of life depended on the slaves." His face contorted and he clutched at his side a moment before going on. "Or should I forgive you for wanting to give natural expression to your intellect? You were smarter than even Thomas or John, but you’re female, another cruelty I was helpless to change."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Invention of Wings LitChart as a printable PDF.
John Grimké (Father) Quotes in The Invention of Wings
The The Invention of Wings quotes below are all either spoken by John Grimké (Father) or refer to John Grimké (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:
).
Part 1
Quotes
Don't let her fall anymore. That's the prayer I said. Missus told us God listened to everybody, even a slave got a piece of God's ear. I carried a picture of God in my head, a white man, bearing a stick like missus or going round dodging slaves the way master Grimké did, acting like he'd sired a world where they don’t exist. I couldn’t see him lifting a finger to help.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3
Quotes
"Forgive you for what, Sarah? For following your conscience? Do you think I don’t abhor slavery as you do? Do you think I don’t know it was greed that kept me from following my conscience as you have? The plantation, the house, our entire way of life depended on the slaves." His face contorted and he clutched at his side a moment before going on. "Or should I forgive you for wanting to give natural expression to your intellect? You were smarter than even Thomas or John, but you’re female, another cruelty I was helpless to change."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
