Things We Didn’t See Coming

by

Steven Amsterdam

Juliet Character Analysis

Juliet is a wealthy heiress and a prominent Senator, responsible for representing nearly a third of her unnamed nation. Juliet came to prominence by arguing for urban-rural reconciliation, “peace,” and the end of the Barricades; her lascivious body and sexual appeal also helped her growing fame. In addition to her political acumen, Juliet is widely known for her sexual and pharmaceutical experiments. When she meets Margo and the narrator at a flesh club, she takes them in, wanting to be associated with a heterosexual couple as a means of bolstering her public image. Juliet has intimate relationships with both Margo and the narrator (though it is implied that she prefers Margo romantically and sexually). While Juliet elevates the narrator to a life of great status and adventure, he never feels comfortable in their arrangement, given how quickly she could change her mind.

Juliet Quotes in Things We Didn’t See Coming

The Things We Didn’t See Coming quotes below are all either spoken by Juliet or refer to Juliet. 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:
Morality and Survival Theme Icon
).
The Forest for the Trees Quotes

The reason Juliet chose us, it turned out, is we're heterosexual. Voters are fine about ignoring her personal life, to a point. Since the various media outlets forced them to read endlessly about her night crawls, which usually involves some variation of the women we danced through to get to her, they want variety of gender. In the first month, she dressed me up in rubber and had me fuck her on the main stage of just about every flesh club in her constituency—the million-dollar landscaped one in the cities and the back-road barns in the country. […] In the old days, the candidate had to eat a lot of doughnuts to get their message through, but Juliet 's calculations about the addition of us to her entourage were correct.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Margo, Juliet
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:

Her goal, [Juliet] says, is to connect the coast and the north-south borders with great corridors of wild land—farms, forests, suburbs reclaimed by nature. One day there will be no more cities—their shells will be ghostly interruptions of the new nation, which will be composed of rural communities linked in all directions. Even if we aren't here, the land will be: My money will keep it safe. When the rain comes back—ever the optimist—this is where her utopia will be.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Juliet (speaker), Margo
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:

There's a spark in front of us as [Juliet] lights two long white candles with a match. She hands one to each of us. “Go on. We’re protected.” She holds her arms open to the woods. “It's time for it to go. Do the honors. Don't think about it, we're safe in the suits, the vehicle is secure, the edges of the forest are protected. Everyone, everything is safe. It will all grow back. The forest needs the fire.”

Margo's eyes are shining. “Yes! Yes!” she yells, as she pushes her little flame against one twig and then another. She turns to me in lecturing ecstasy, “You don't even comprehend it do you? […] We’re three already, you don't need documentation! You've got your security and all the love you'll ever need!”

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Margo (speaker), Juliet (speaker)
Related Symbols: Fire
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
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Things We Didn’t See Coming PDF

Juliet Quotes in Things We Didn’t See Coming

The Things We Didn’t See Coming quotes below are all either spoken by Juliet or refer to Juliet. 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:
Morality and Survival Theme Icon
).
The Forest for the Trees Quotes

The reason Juliet chose us, it turned out, is we're heterosexual. Voters are fine about ignoring her personal life, to a point. Since the various media outlets forced them to read endlessly about her night crawls, which usually involves some variation of the women we danced through to get to her, they want variety of gender. In the first month, she dressed me up in rubber and had me fuck her on the main stage of just about every flesh club in her constituency—the million-dollar landscaped one in the cities and the back-road barns in the country. […] In the old days, the candidate had to eat a lot of doughnuts to get their message through, but Juliet 's calculations about the addition of us to her entourage were correct.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Margo, Juliet
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:

Her goal, [Juliet] says, is to connect the coast and the north-south borders with great corridors of wild land—farms, forests, suburbs reclaimed by nature. One day there will be no more cities—their shells will be ghostly interruptions of the new nation, which will be composed of rural communities linked in all directions. Even if we aren't here, the land will be: My money will keep it safe. When the rain comes back—ever the optimist—this is where her utopia will be.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Juliet (speaker), Margo
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:

There's a spark in front of us as [Juliet] lights two long white candles with a match. She hands one to each of us. “Go on. We’re protected.” She holds her arms open to the woods. “It's time for it to go. Do the honors. Don't think about it, we're safe in the suits, the vehicle is secure, the edges of the forest are protected. Everyone, everything is safe. It will all grow back. The forest needs the fire.”

Margo's eyes are shining. “Yes! Yes!” she yells, as she pushes her little flame against one twig and then another. She turns to me in lecturing ecstasy, “You don't even comprehend it do you? […] We’re three already, you don't need documentation! You've got your security and all the love you'll ever need!”

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Margo (speaker), Juliet (speaker)
Related Symbols: Fire
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis: