Previous
Uncle Alan
The local shopkeeper is known for being gentle, talkative, and condescending toward foreign peoples. He proves close-minded about religious and social topics, and tries to convert everyone to Christianity. His views are largely patronizing, as he believes that poor foreigners should be taught English culture and “civilization” instead of merely being allowed to live in a dignified way. However, Mr. Ormerod behaves kindly toward Meena and her family. Like Sam Lowbridge, he seems unaware of the potential effects his racist beliefs can have on others.
Mr. Ormerod Quotes in Anita and Me
The Anita and Me quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Ormerod or refer to Mr. Ormerod. 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 7 Quotes
‘They’ll want cookers!’ giggled mama. ‘Doesn’t he know we were fitting bidets into our houses when their ancestors were living in caves? Oh God!’ and then she went suddenly quiet and looked hard at papa. ‘God Shyam, is that how they see us? Is it really?’
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Anita and Me 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. Ormerod Character Timeline in Anita and Me
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Ormerod appears in Anita and Me. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...Meena down the street, past the posh mansions, and toward the center of Tollington and Mr. Ormerod ’s grocery shop, Meena screams that she is not lying. Meanwhile, she admires the countryside,...
(full context)
When Mr. Kumar and Meena reach Mr. Ormerod ’s shop, Meena recalls speaking to Anita Rutter and her closest friends, Sherrie and Fat...
(full context)
By the time Meena and her father reach Mr. Ormerod ’s shop, Mr. Kumar confronts his daughter again, asking her if she is finally going...
(full context)
Meena knows that she should tell the truth to her father before they walk into Mr. Ormerod ’s shop and thus make her embarrassment public. She hears a door slam shut and...
(full context)
Chapter 4
...the television, the state of her face suggesting that she had been dead for weeks. Mr. Ormerod comments that Mr. Christmas was probably too confused to know what he was doing.
(full context)
Chapter 6
...as Anita leads the entire group on strolls through the village. Anita buys sweets at Mr. Ormerod ’s shop and the two of them talk, though Meena notes that this consists of...
(full context)
...door, Meena decides to follow her, taking her two cousins along. When the group reaches Mr. Ormerod ’s shop, Anita seizes the opportunity to steal candy from the counter while Mr. Ormerod...
(full context)
...Meena to steal as well. However, Meena is too scared to behave quickly enough, and Mr. Ormerod appears while Meena is about to grab marzipan bananas. To keep from getting into trouble,...
(full context)
Stuck in this situation, Meena has the idea of asking Mr. Ormerod to grab some polish for her mother. While Mr. Ormerod is gone, Meena steals a...
(full context)
Later that evening, Mr. Ormerod comes to the Kumars’ house, after Meena has opened her presents and eaten happily, free...
(full context)
Chapter 7
At Fete, Meena hears Uncle Alan argue with Mr. Ormerod , telling him that he believe Africans should be free to follow whichever religion they...
(full context)
Meena recalls another time her father and she overheard Mr. Ormerod discussing Uncle Alan’s ideas with another woman. Mr. Ormerod told the woman he believed it...
(full context)
...white person, even though she had done nothing wrong. Troubled by a possible relation between Mr. Ormerod ’s words and violent, discriminatory deeds, as well as what she has witnessed in Anita’s...
(full context)
...the direction of these voices, she is shocked to see that they are part of Mr. Ormerod ’s group, though the shopkeeper looks flustered. Meena does not understand how Sam, who has...
(full context)
Chapter 8
Meena and her grandmother then go to Mr. Ormerod ’s shop to buy groceries. Meena, who sees Mr. Ormerod chatting with a member of...
(full context)
...realizes that some is missing. Furious, she walks back into the store and angrily accuses Mr. Ormerod of cheating her grandmother because she does not speak English. Meena adds an angry comment...
(full context)
Chapter 11
...time in years, asking God to forgive her for accusing Pinky and Baby of stealing Mr. Ormerod ’s money. She wishes the two girls were there, because she knows that they would...
(full context)
