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Quentin Compson
Ellen Coldfield is Rosa Coldfield’s much-older sister. She comes from a respectful family, and Thomas Sutpen chooses her as his wife to secure his reputation in town and further his “design.” They have two children together, Judith and Henry. Sutpen is a cruel and unfeeling husband, and Ellen becomes a shell of her former self upon marrying him, seeming to exist in a perpetual state of suspended reality. In some characters’ versions of the Sutpen saga, Ellen is instrumental in orchestrating Judith and Bon’s courtship (not knowing they are actually half-siblings), doing everything in her power to get them alone together and spreading rumors of their supposed engagement around town. She passes away during the war. It is her dying wish for Rosa to come live at Sutpen’s Hundred to “protect” her children from Sutpen, whom Ellen believes is bent on leading his family to destruction.
Ellen Coldfield Quotes in Absalom, Absalom!
The Absalom, Absalom! quotes below are all either spoken by Ellen Coldfield or refer to Ellen Coldfield. 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:
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Chapter 2 Quotes
He might not have gone out of his way to keep Sutpen in jail, but doubtless the best possible moral fumigation which Sutpen could have received at the time in the eyes of his fellow citizens was the fact that Mr Coldfield signed his bond—something he would not have done to save his own good name even though the arrest had been a direct result of the business between himself and Sutpen—that affair which, when it reached a point where his conscience refused to sanction it, he had withdrawn from and let Sutpen take all the profit, refusing even to allow Sutpen to reimburse him for the loss which, in withdrawing, he had suffered, though he did permit his daughter to marry this man of whose actions his conscience did not approve. This was the second time he did something like that.
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Quentin Compson is waiting for it to be time for him to return to Miss Rosa Coldfield’s house so she can continue telling him her story about Thomas Sutpen. As he waits, his father, Mr. Compson, tells his own account of Thomas Sutpen’s early years in Jefferson, Mississippi. Mr. Compson didn’t witness the events he describes here firsthand—rather, he is telling a version of the story based on the story that his own father, General Compson (who had been Sutpen’s only friend) told him. Here, Mr. Compson talks about Rosa’s father’s early dealings with Sutpen, and how their relationship solidified 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 ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisc
Chapter 3 Quotes
That’s what Miss Rosa heard. Nobody knows what she thought.
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While waiting for it to be time for him to return to Rosa Coldfield’s house, where she’ll tell Quentin more of her story about her longstanding grudge against Thomas Sutpen, Quentin listens to Mr. Compson tell his own story about Sutpen, which he’s pieced together through details his own father (General Compson) told him. At this point in the story, Mr. Compson has just gotten to the argument that Henry Sutpen and Thomas Sutpen get into one fateful Christmas Eve. People know what came of the argument—Henry Sutpen renounced his birthright and left Sutpen’s Hundred with his close friend Charles 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 ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qu
Chapter 5 Quotes
I mean that he was not owned by anyone or anything in this world, had never been, would never be, not even by Ellen, not even by Jones’ granddaughter. Because he was not articulated in this world. He was a walking shadow.
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This passage is told from Miss Rosa’s perspective. In it, she defends herself against rumors and accusations that she has never forgiven Thomas Sutpen for insulting her, which led to her calling off their engagement, fleeing Sutpen’s Hundred, and living out the rest of her days as a shut-in. Rosa claims that there was in fact nothing to blame Sutpen for in the first place, as “he was not owned by anyone or anything in this world.” She describes him as “not articulated in this world,” comparing him to “a walking shadow” rather than a physical entity tangibly tied to 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 ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique p
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Ellen Coldfield Character Timeline in Absalom, Absalom!
The timeline below shows where the character Ellen Coldfield appears in Absalom, Absalom!. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...“a band of strange niggers,” and constructed a plantation. He married Miss Rosa’s much-older sister Ellen and had a son (Henry) and a daughter (Judith) with her. His children should’ve cared...
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...sought “reputable men” to protect him and a “virtuous woman” to have a child with. Ellen and Rosa’s father (Goodhue Coldfield) gave him this. Rosa doesn’t fault her sister for marrying...
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Rosa explains that marrying Ellen didn’t make Sutpen into “a gentleman”—not that he’d wanted to be one. He just needed...
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Rosa laments having been too young at the time for the story of Ellen, Judith, and Henry to be more than “an ogre-tale.” When Ellen, before her death, asked...
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Rosa will always remember the first time she saw Thomas and Ellen’s children, Judith and Henry, arrive in the carriage. She’d been three and had woken up...
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Rosa remembers another time she and Mr. Coldfield went to the house to see Ellen. In this story, she is four and asks her father which room Judith is in,...
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...Mr. Coldfield go to Sutpen’s Hundred (his estate) once a year to have dinner, and Ellen and the children come to the Coldfields’ around four times per year and spend the...
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Ellen asks the spectators to leave so she and Sutpen can talk in private. Then she...
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Chapter 2
...little to offer Sutpen. Then they remember that he has a daughter of marriageable age, Ellen, though the villagers find it hard to “think of love in connection with Sutpen.” From...
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...a long time. When he emerges, he’s no longer carrying the flowers. He proposed to Ellen, but the crowd arrests him on the spot and so doesn’t learn this detail until...
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Ellen and Sutpen’s wedding takes place in the Methodist church in June of 1838, exactly five...
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Ellen cries at the wedding. It’s a grand affair, something “the aunt” convinced Mr. Coldfield to...
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...large crowd gathers outside the church, but only 10 people enter to attend the ceremony. Ellen pretends not to notice—perhaps out of pride.
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After Ellen exits the church, people throw clumps of dirt at her, and the crowd watches as...
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Chapter 3
...live with Judith at Sutpen’s Hundred after Mr. Coldfield died in 1864. It had been Ellen’s dying wish (she died in 1863) that Rosa, who was then 20, “save” Judith (who...
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...nephew (who are older than her). On the four or five times per year that Ellen would visit Mr. Coldfield’s house with Judith and Henry, the spinster aunt would create an...
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...see Sutpen again for many years, but she sees a lot more of Judith and Ellen. Ellen is in her late thirties now and thriving, having finally accepted what’s become of...
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The summer that Judith is 17, she and Ellen head to Memphis to buy Judith clothing for her trousseau. This is the year after...
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Though Ellen still ventures into town to shop, she stops coming to the Coldfield house, apparently feeling...
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...But Rosa doesn’t see any of this; all she knows of Bon comes from what Ellen says about him. Ellen seems to consider it a given that a romance will develop...
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Hearing Ellen talk about Bon, Rosa—“the spinster doomed for life at sixteen”—isn’t jealous of Judith. Nor does...
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Ellen has been telling the town all about Judith’s engagement to Charles Bon. Then, one day,...
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...actually declared. But once the war actually began, he seemed to change overnight, just like Ellen had after marrying Sutpen. After troops began to make their way into town, he closed...
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...orphaned and destitute, since nobody has kept up the store since it was looted. Meanwhile, Ellen has been dead for two years, and Henry has since vanished.
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...would be the most practical choice for Rosa, she doesn’t do this at first. Though Ellen had asked Rosa to protect Judith, Mr. Compson speculates that Rosa must have felt that...
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Chapter 4
...the child,” but nobody could’ve known about that. In Mr. Compson’s telling of the story, Ellen goes out of her way to bring Judith and Bon together to encourage the romance....
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The Christmas of 1860, Bon and Henry return to Sutpen’s Hundred. By this point, Ellen has already told everyone in town about Judith and Bon’s engagement. Then the outburst on...
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...Sartoris’s regiment, and Sutpen’s enslaved people have left with the Yankee troops who passed through. Ellen stays in bed all day, shut in and waiting to die while Judith and Clytie...
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Ellen dies and is buried under a massive marble monument Sutpen brought from Charleston, South Carolina....
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Chapter 5
...and traveled in the buggy 12 miles to Sutpen’s Hundred, which she hadn’t done since Ellen died two years ago. She rode “beside that brute” who wasn’t even allowed inside the...
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...Christmas Henry brought Bon home. In this memory, Mr. Coldfield sends Rosa to stay with Ellen. Sutpen is gone. Rosa has never seen Bon—in fact, she never will, not even his...
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...promising her that he’ll be no worse a husband to Rosa than he was to Ellen. This is the extent of their courtship. Sutpen doesn’t talk of love or marriage, only...
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...“had nothing to forgive” in the first place. For she “never owned him,” nor did Ellen, nor Jones’s daughter (who, it’s rumored, died in a Memphis brothel). It was impossible for...
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Chapter 6
...he should be buried in a cedar grove at the Methodist church where he married Ellen all those years ago. Judith doesn’t cry, perhaps because she’s too busy (she ran Sutpen’s...
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...Luster and Quentin into the cedars, and it’s there that Quentin sees the gravestones of Ellen Coldfield Sutpen and Thomas Sutpen. Mr. Compson explains that Sutpen bought them when Judith informed...
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...along the way. Quentin, in the story’s present, imagines Miss Rosa at Sutpen’s Hundred following Ellen’s death, gazing at the gravestone Sutpen prematurely ordered for himself with romantic longing, as though...
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Chapter 7
...one.” So, he lets Bon stay in his house for the duration of the vacation. Ellen arranges for Bon and Judith’s engagement even before Bon arrives—she might have gotten the idea...
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...to Oxford for school, and Bon’s letters to Judith start to arrive at Sutpen’s Hundred. Ellen, meanwhile, starts spreading news of the supposed “engagement” around Jefferson. Sutpen does nothing until spring,...
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Chapter 8
Shreve, in the present, guesses that Ellen must have executed her own scheme to marry Judith to Bon, something she’d been planning...
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...exchange their first kiss—but nothing else happens. Henry and Bon leave two days later. To Ellen’s dismay, Bon hasn’t yet proposed to Judith.
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Chapter 9
...Sutpen’s Hundred, Miss Rosa notes that they’re “on the Domain. On his land, his and Ellen’s and Ellen’s descendants.” She’s adamant it’s still theirs, though “they” have taken it from them....
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