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Poppet Murray
A young boy from Concord, Massachusetts, Bailey becomes obsessed with Le Cirque des Rêves and eventually becomes the new proprietor after Celia and Marco disappear into the bonfire and can no longer run the circus. On a dare, Bailey sneaks into the circus before it opens, meeting Poppet for the first time. When he actually attends the circus when it is open, he befriends Poppet and Widget, who eventually give him a lifetime pass to the circus so that he can visit any time he wants. For Bailey, the circus becomes a fantastic escape from his life on the farm, where his family disagrees about whether he will become a family farmer, like his dad, or will attend college at Harvard, as his grandmother wishes. Neither of these options is attractive to Bailey, and he finally decides to run away from home and join the circus. Poppet has foreseen the destruction of the bonfire that keeps the circus running, and knows that Bailey will be the one to re-light it. He is in the right place at the right time, and accepts responsibility for the future of the circus, re-lighting the bonfire and taking over as proprietor. The novel ends with a note from Bailey, along with an email address, suggesting that at least another hundred years have passed since the young man ran away from home at the turn of the twentieth century.
Bailey Clarke Quotes in The Night Circus
The The Night Circus quotes below are all either spoken by Bailey Clarke or refer to Bailey Clarke. 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: Primordium
Quotes
“Follow your dreams, Bailey. Be they Harvard or something else entirely.”
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Part 2: Illumination
Quotes
“Do you like the circus, Bailey?”
“It’s like no place I’ve ever been […] Not that I’ve been many places. But I think the circus is wonderful. I like it very much.”
“That would help.”
“Help with what?”
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Part 3: Intersections
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“You’re joking.”
“I’m not, I swear I’m not. I wanted to wait until I was sure it was the right thing to ask, the right thing to do, and I’m sure now. It’s important.”
“What do you mean? Important how?”
“I know you’re supposed to come with us. I know that part for certain.”
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“Staying here won’t make me happy. It will make you happy because you are insipid and boring, and an insipid, boring life is enough for you. It’s not enough for me. It will never be enough for me. So I’m leaving.”
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Part 4: Incendiary
Quotes
“But I’m not […] special. Not in the way they are. I’m not anyone important.”
“I know. You’re not destined or chosen, I wish I could tell you that you were if that would make it easier, but it’s not true. You’re in the right place at the right time, and you care enough to do what needs to be done. Sometimes that’s enough.”
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Part 5: Divination
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“I’m not going to give you your memory back. I don’t know if I could even if I tried, though Widge could probably manage it. At this point, I don’t think you need that weight on you. I think looking forward will be better than looking back.”
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Get the entire The Night Circus LitChart as a printable PDF.
Bailey Clarke Quotes in The Night Circus
The The Night Circus quotes below are all either spoken by Bailey Clarke or refer to Bailey Clarke. 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: Primordium
Quotes
“Follow your dreams, Bailey. Be they Harvard or something else entirely.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2: Illumination
Quotes
“Do you like the circus, Bailey?”
“It’s like no place I’ve ever been […] Not that I’ve been many places. But I think the circus is wonderful. I like it very much.”
“That would help.”
“Help with what?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Intersections
Quotes
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not, I swear I’m not. I wanted to wait until I was sure it was the right thing to ask, the right thing to do, and I’m sure now. It’s important.”
“What do you mean? Important how?”
“I know you’re supposed to come with us. I know that part for certain.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Staying here won’t make me happy. It will make you happy because you are insipid and boring, and an insipid, boring life is enough for you. It’s not enough for me. It will never be enough for me. So I’m leaving.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: Incendiary
Quotes
“But I’m not […] special. Not in the way they are. I’m not anyone important.”
“I know. You’re not destined or chosen, I wish I could tell you that you were if that would make it easier, but it’s not true. You’re in the right place at the right time, and you care enough to do what needs to be done. Sometimes that’s enough.”
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 5: Divination
Quotes
“I’m not going to give you your memory back. I don’t know if I could even if I tried, though Widge could probably manage it. At this point, I don’t think you need that weight on you. I think looking forward will be better than looking back.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
