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Jenna
Karuna is the primary interviewer the narrator encounters when he applies for a job in the new government. Outwardly, Karuna seems emotional, volatile, and inappropriate, confessing past traumas to the narrator and admitting that she sometimes steals from the government’s vaults. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that Karuna is simply testing the narrator by setting him up with difficult moral quandaries (which he then has to navigate with Francis and Jeannie).
Karuna Quotes in Things We Didn’t See Coming
The Things We Didn’t See Coming quotes below are all either spoken by Karuna or refer to Karuna . 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:
).
The Profit Motive
Quotes
My years as an unambitious bottom feeder were just productive enough to keep my criminal record within acceptable ranges for any position in the new regime. If asked, I will tell [Karuna] that it was never a conscious wish to become a criminal. It was an apocalyptic choice. I’m not so morally resurrected that I mean it was a choice with apocalyptic consequences; I mean it was a good choice for the apocalypse, but now I'm ready and eager to go back to work toward happier times.
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Explanation and Analysis:
I roll up the sleeves. As I pull off my boots, I see [Karuna] notice the hole in one sock. I drop my synthetic slacks and she seems to be drifting away from me. I'd feel more at ease if she, or whoever else is watching, were simply inspecting my body and not my actions. I've made it my work to eat as often as possible to stay fit. When presented with a long night in a secure environment, I do my exercises. There are scars on my hip, neck and all over my calves, but I still look scrappy enough to scare away most would be attackers. My body is symmetrical, reasonably strong and, as Karuna pointed out, still here.
“You have consistently, when practicable, worked for your living, in both rural and urban communities. On several occasions you adapted to what some might call catastrophic changes in your immediate world. Through these times, you have generally maintained your hopeful outlook and your health. You have managed to survive without excessive theft. You have exhibited a range of genuine honesty, kindness and patience that are exactly in keeping with what this coalition endeavors to make global.” With an impressed gleam, [Francis] says, “You have something of the businessman about you,” in a way that sounds like a compliment.
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Karuna Quotes in Things We Didn’t See Coming
The Things We Didn’t See Coming quotes below are all either spoken by Karuna or refer to Karuna . 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:
).
The Profit Motive
Quotes
My years as an unambitious bottom feeder were just productive enough to keep my criminal record within acceptable ranges for any position in the new regime. If asked, I will tell [Karuna] that it was never a conscious wish to become a criminal. It was an apocalyptic choice. I’m not so morally resurrected that I mean it was a choice with apocalyptic consequences; I mean it was a good choice for the apocalypse, but now I'm ready and eager to go back to work toward happier times.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I roll up the sleeves. As I pull off my boots, I see [Karuna] notice the hole in one sock. I drop my synthetic slacks and she seems to be drifting away from me. I'd feel more at ease if she, or whoever else is watching, were simply inspecting my body and not my actions. I've made it my work to eat as often as possible to stay fit. When presented with a long night in a secure environment, I do my exercises. There are scars on my hip, neck and all over my calves, but I still look scrappy enough to scare away most would be attackers. My body is symmetrical, reasonably strong and, as Karuna pointed out, still here.
“You have consistently, when practicable, worked for your living, in both rural and urban communities. On several occasions you adapted to what some might call catastrophic changes in your immediate world. Through these times, you have generally maintained your hopeful outlook and your health. You have managed to survive without excessive theft. You have exhibited a range of genuine honesty, kindness and patience that are exactly in keeping with what this coalition endeavors to make global.” With an impressed gleam, [Francis] says, “You have something of the businessman about you,” in a way that sounds like a compliment.
