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Margot, the protagonist of “All Summer in a Day,” is a nine-year-old girl who moved from Ohio to the planet Venus when she was four years old. Margot longs intensely for the sun, which she remembers vividly from her time on Earth. Without the sun, Margot has become withdrawn, pale, and somber, eschewing the company of other children and thinking only of summertime. Margot’s classmates treat her coldly or with jealousy, because they have hardly experienced the sun at all and will likely remain on Venus for the rest of their lives, while Margot may be lucky enough to return to Earth. On the much-anticipated single day of summer, Margot becomes a scapegoat for the other children’s longing and deprivation: they lock her in a closet so she won’t be able to see the sun, which is the experience she most craves.
Margot Quotes in All Summer in a Day
The All Summer in a Day quotes below are all either spoken by Margot or refer to Margot. 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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All Summer in a Day Quotes
Sometimes, at night, she heard them stir, in remembrance, and she knew they were dreaming and remembering gold or a yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. She knew they thought they remembered a warmness, like a blushing in the face, in the body, in the arms and legs and trembling hands. But then they always awoke to the tatting drum, the endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests, and their dreams were gone.
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In this quote, Margot reflects on the differences between herself and the other children—differences which isolate her and push the other children to bullying. Margot is intensely aware of the fact that her memories differ from those of the other children: while they can recall vague sensations (“a blushing in the face”) or simplified descriptions (“a yellow crayon”) of the sun, those recollections are unreliable and insubstantial. In contrast, Margot remembers the sun quite well and she sustains herself on those vivid memories. This shows readers the extent to which memory has become a defining aspect of Margot’s identity, influencing 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.
Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost.
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As the rain continues to slow, the other children talk excitedly amongst themselves. But Margot doesn’t engage them, instead standing apart and staring out the window. In this evocative description, Bradbury shows the full extent of the damage that deprivation from the sun has wreaked on Margot. Lack of sunlight has left her physically weak and drained to the point that she is visibly frail. She is pale, as if the rain has “washed out” her color and vitality. These descriptions show that being outdoors in the sun is important for physical and mental health. But more than that, this 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 recus
They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was because she would play no games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the class sang songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun and the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows. And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she was four in Ohio. And they, they had been on Venus all their lives, and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out and had long since forgotten the color and heat of it and the way it really was.
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In this important and revealing quote, Bradbury gives a glimpse of what day-to-day interactions between Margot and the other children are like. Not only does Margot stand apart on the day the sun will appear, but she stands apart on all days, even when the other children attempt to include her, since her past sets her apart. This quote reveals two very important things about how Margot relates to the other children. The first is that Margot distances herself from the other children by refusing to participate in activities that do not relate to the sun, instead dwelling on her 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
Then, for the first time, she turned and looked at him. And what she was waiting for was in her eyes. "Well, don’t wait around here!" cried the boy savagely. "You won’t see nothing!" Her lips moved.
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The tension in the classroom breaks out into conflict as William turns his attention towards Margot and asks what she’s waiting for. At first, she ignores him. But then, in this pivotal moment, Margot turns to William and he realizes how he can exact the most revenge for the jealousy he feels towards her. Because Margot cares most about the sun and has waited with so much longing for this day (which William realizes when he looks into her eyes), William can hurt her by threatening that moment. In reality, William has no control over the fact that Margot will 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
"Margot." They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down. "Margot."
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This is a moment of profound realization and sudden self-awareness for the children. Before, the children had teased Margot and locked her up with careless cruelty, seeming to forget her instantly and failing to spare her a thought as they played outside. But now, in light of their new sense of loss and longing, the children remember Margot and are struck by the seriousness of what they have done. They glance out at the rain, now fully aware of how oppressive and unceasing it seemed to Margot because they share her experiences. Like her, they are now solemn and pale. 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. N
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Margot Character Timeline in All Summer in a Day
The timeline below shows where the character Margot appears in All Summer in a Day. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
All Summer in a Day
One child, Margot, stands apart. Like all the children, she is nine years old. This means that most...
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...schoolchildren had read about the sun and written short stories or poems about it. When Margot quietly read her poem comparing the sun to a flower aloud to the class, another...
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...teacher won’t return in time, and that this will cause them to miss the sun. Margot continues to watch and listen to the rain by herself. She is very frail and...
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William asks Margot what she’s looking at. When she doesn’t respond, he shoves her, but she still doesn’t...
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Margot arrived on Venus from Earth five years ago, so, unlike the other children, she remembers...
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In the classroom, William pushes Margot again. Then, he tells her the sun won’t actually come out—it was all a joke....
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At William’s urging, all the children surge around Margot and push her into a closet in the hallway as she pleads and cries. As...
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...the teacher makes sure everyone is ready and accounted for. She does not notice that Margot isn’t there. The children crowd around the classroom door as the rain slows and then...
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Suddenly, one of the children remembers Margot. The children realize she is still locked in the closet, and they stand frozen in...
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...moment before the closet, which is now silent. Slowly, they unlock the door and let Margot out.
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