Brown Girl Dreaming
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Themes
All Themes Memory Racism, Activism, and the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements Language and Storytelling The North and The South Religion and Spiritualism
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Jacqueline Odella Roman Hope Mama / Mary Ann Gunnar Georgiana Diana Jack Uncle Robert Aunt Kay Grandma Grace
Symbols
All Symbols Dirt and Air Composition Notebook
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Brown Girl Dreaming

by

Jacqueline Woodson
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Gunnar Character Analysis

Gunnar is Jacqueline’s maternal grandfather. He and his wife Georgiana live in South Carolina. He is a jovial spirit and enjoys maintaining his vegetable garden in his spare time. He has a close relationship with his grandchildren (especially Jacqueline), who live with him for a time and visit every summer after they move to New York. Gunnar frequently takes them out for ice cream, asks for their help gardening, and tells them stories. For most of the memoir, Gunnar works at a printing press. Later, he falls ill because of his lifelong smoking addiction. While Mama and the children are living in New York, Gunnar dies, and the family returns to South Carolina to attend his funeral.

Gunnar Quotes in Brown Girl Dreaming

The Brown Girl Dreaming quotes below are all either spoken by Gunnar or refer to Gunnar. 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:
Memory Theme Icon
).
Part 2 Quotes

But I want the world where my daddy is
and I don’t know why
anybody’s God would make me
have to choose.

Related Characters: Jacqueline (speaker), Gunnar
Religion and Spiritualism Theme Icon
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 5 Quotes

And all the worlds you are—
Ohio and Greenville
Woodson and Irby
Gunnar’s child and Jack’s daughter
Jehovah’s Witness and nonbeliever
listener and writer
Jackie and Jacqueline
gather into one world
called You
where You decide
what each world
and each story
and each ending
will finally be.

Related Characters: Jacqueline (speaker), Gunnar, Jack
Language and Storytelling Theme Icon
The North and The South Theme Icon
Religion and Spiritualism Theme Icon
Page Number: 319-320
Explanation and Analysis:
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Gunnar Quotes in Brown Girl Dreaming

The Brown Girl Dreaming quotes below are all either spoken by Gunnar or refer to Gunnar. 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:
Memory Theme Icon
).
Part 2 Quotes

But I want the world where my daddy is
and I don’t know why
anybody’s God would make me
have to choose.

Related Characters: Jacqueline (speaker), Gunnar
Religion and Spiritualism Theme Icon
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 5 Quotes

And all the worlds you are—
Ohio and Greenville
Woodson and Irby
Gunnar’s child and Jack’s daughter
Jehovah’s Witness and nonbeliever
listener and writer
Jackie and Jacqueline
gather into one world
called You
where You decide
what each world
and each story
and each ending
will finally be.

Related Characters: Jacqueline (speaker), Gunnar, Jack
Language and Storytelling Theme Icon
The North and The South Theme Icon
Religion and Spiritualism Theme Icon
Page Number: 319-320
Explanation and Analysis:
Unlock with LitCharts A+
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