Previous
Gretta Lawlor
Mr. Lawlor lives with his daughter Gretta in a slum tenement under Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. He’s a supporter of James Larkin, a prominent Irish trade union leader. In 1913, Mr. Lawlor receives a head injury from a policeman during the Dublin Metropolitan Police’s show of force against citizens gathered in Sackville Street to hear Larkin speak. As a result, Mr. Lawlor resents the police—including James Dunne, who led the baton charge against the crowd. Because of the Dublin lockout, Mr. Lawlor loses his job as a carter and joins the British Army to support himself and his daughter. He impresses upon Willie the importance of knowing one’s own mind, a principle he draws from St. Thomas Aquinas.
Mr. Lawlor Quotes in A Long Long Way
The A Long Long Way quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Lawlor or refer to Mr. Lawlor. 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 1 Quotes
“You should have an opinion. I don’t care what a man thinks as long as he knows his own mind.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
When Mr. Lawlor asks 16-year-old Willie what he thinks about police violence against civilians, Willie says he doesn’t know. In response, Mr. Lawlor tells him that he “should have an opinion.” Mr. Lawlor teaches Willie that it’s important for him to form his own ideas about the world, rather than simply accept what other people believe. Willie hasn’t yet learned to think independently or confidently assert his beliefs, and Mr. Lawlor challenges him to start developing these skills. Moreover, Mr. Lawlor says that it doesn’t matter to him “what a man thinks as long as he knows his own mind.” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earu
Chapter 16 Quotes
“You can know your own mind and your father can know his.”
“But my father and me always had the one mind on things. That’s the trouble, I think—I don’t even know. I’m confused, Father.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
As Willie confesses his sins to Father Buckley, he also confides in the priest that his father is angry with him for pitying a young Irish rebel involved in the Easter Rising. Father Buckley tries to reassure Willie by saying, “You can know your own mind and your father can know his.” With these words, the priest echoes Mr. Lawlor’s advice from earlier in the novel and tells Willie that he’s allowed to think differently from his father. By being the second person to encourage Willie to know his own mind, Father Buckley emphasizes how important it is for Willie Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia
Get the entire A Long Long Way LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Mr. Lawlor Character Timeline in A Long Long Way
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Lawlor appears in A Long Long Way. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
When Willie is almost 17, his father sends him to bring two pheasants to Mr. Lawlor , who lives in a tenement under Christ Church Cathedral. During the Dublin lockout, Mr....
(full context)
When Willie arrives at the tenement where Mr. Lawlor lives—a room shared by four families—he sees Mr. Lawlor’s 13-year-old daughter, Gretta, for the first...
(full context)
Mr. Lawlor walks in and asks Willie what his business is. Learning that Willie is the son...
(full context)
Mr. Lawlor loses his job as a carter and joins the army to support himself and his...
(full context)
