Sophie’s World

by

Jostein Gaarder

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Sophie’s World makes teaching easy.

Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen Character Analysis

Sophie Amundsen’s Mom is a pleasant but slightly dull woman, who shares none of her daughter’s interest in philosophy or reason. In a sense, Mom isn’t a character so much as a warning sign: this is what happens to people who don’t question their surroundings. Mom lives a simple, banal life, and seems not to derive much pleasure from her work or her home life. In all, Sophie cares about her mother, but ultimately moves past her narrow-mindedness to enter the world of philosophy.

Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen Quotes in Sophie’s World

The Sophie’s World quotes below are all either spoken by Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen or refer to Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen. 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:
Philosophy, Wisdom, and Wonder Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

“We don’t learn anything there. The difference between schoolteachers and philosophers is that school-teachers think they know a lot of stuff that they try to force down our throats. Philosophers try to figure things out together with the pupils.”
“Now we’re back to white rabbits again! You know something? I demand to know who your boyfriend really is. Otherwise I’ll begin to think he is a bit disturbed.”
Sophie turned her back on the dishes and pointed at her mother with the dish mop.
“It’s not him who’s disturbed. But he likes to disturb others—to shake them out of their rut.”

Related Characters: Sophie Amundsen (speaker), Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen (speaker), Alberto Knox
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

“They have vanished into thin air,” said Helene Amundsen, not without a touch of pride.
She drew herself up to her full height, walked toward the long table and began to clear up after the philosophical garden party.
“More coffee, anyone?”

Related Characters: Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen (speaker), Sophie Amundsen, Alberto Knox
Page Number: 478
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Sophie’s World LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sophie’s World PDF

Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen Quotes in Sophie’s World

The Sophie’s World quotes below are all either spoken by Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen or refer to Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen. 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:
Philosophy, Wisdom, and Wonder Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

“We don’t learn anything there. The difference between schoolteachers and philosophers is that school-teachers think they know a lot of stuff that they try to force down our throats. Philosophers try to figure things out together with the pupils.”
“Now we’re back to white rabbits again! You know something? I demand to know who your boyfriend really is. Otherwise I’ll begin to think he is a bit disturbed.”
Sophie turned her back on the dishes and pointed at her mother with the dish mop.
“It’s not him who’s disturbed. But he likes to disturb others—to shake them out of their rut.”

Related Characters: Sophie Amundsen (speaker), Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen (speaker), Alberto Knox
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

“They have vanished into thin air,” said Helene Amundsen, not without a touch of pride.
She drew herself up to her full height, walked toward the long table and began to clear up after the philosophical garden party.
“More coffee, anyone?”

Related Characters: Mom / Sophie’s mother / Helene Amundsen (speaker), Sophie Amundsen, Alberto Knox
Page Number: 478
Explanation and Analysis: