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Mrs. Rattery
Dr. Messinger is an eccentric explorer searching for a lost city in the Amazon, whose mission Tony Last joins on a whim. As Tony knows nothing about travel and survival, he entrusts himself to the apparently experienced Messinger, but as their Amazon journey progresses, Messinger’s competence comes into question. His unwavering but misplaced confidence in his own understanding of the Amazonian natives causes them all to abandon him and Tony, essentially dooming their mission.
Dr. Messinger Quotes in A Handful of Dust
The A Handful of Dust quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Messinger or refer to Dr. Messinger . 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:
).
Chapter 5: In Search of a City Quotes
“From now onwards the map is useless to us,” said Dr. Messinger with relish.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Dr. Messinger Character Timeline in A Handful of Dust
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Messinger appears in A Handful of Dust. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: In Search of a City
One afternoon, Tony was approached at a dining club by the eccentric explorer Dr. Messinger. Messinger informed Tony of his upcoming expedition to Brazil in search of a lost, glorious...
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Amidst the weeks-long boredom of life at sea, while Dr. Messinger remains in his cabin with seasickness, Tony strikes up a romance with fellow passenger Therese...
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Tony and Dr. Messinger disembark at Demerara. They assemble supplies, a boat, and six Black hired hands. They then...
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Tony and Dr. Messinger arrive at a village of Macushi Indians, where only women are present. Messinger tries communicating...
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...a drunken week-long feast. Finally, they sober up, but they are reluctant to join Dr. Messinger’s search for the Pie-Wie people, whom the Macushi dread. Eventually, Messinger succeeds in negotiating for...
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For weeks, Dr. Messinger and Tony march deeper into the jungle, losing their bearings and struggling to communicate with...
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Dr. Messinger resolves to have canoes made and travel down a nearby stream, since he calculates that...
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Finally, Dr. Messinger—claiming, “I know the Indian mind”—unveils a wind-up, green-and-white mechanical mouse and sets it ticking. The...
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Tony and Dr. Messinger paddle on alone, hazardously and inefficiently, still spotting no signs of human life. The minimal...
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...throughout the novel. As he talks to her over the next day and a half, Messinger realizes how sick Tony is and sets up a “temporary emergency base camp.” The next...
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