Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

by

Judy Blume

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Laura Danker Character Analysis

Laura Danker is a girl in Margaret’s class. Though Laura is in sixth grade, like Margaret, she looks much older—Margaret mistakes her for the teacher at first. Laura already wears a bra, looks like an adult, and is taller than everyone, including the boys. Though Laura seems quiet and shy—and Margaret thinks she’s beautiful—Nancy insists that Laura is actually very promiscuous. She insists that Laura goes behind the A&P with Evan and Moose, apparently to let the boys touch her body. With these rumors, Nancy encourages Margaret, Janie, and Gretchen to look down on Laura, even though they all secretly want to look as physically mature as she does. Margaret finally starts to piece together that Laura isn’t at all promiscuous when she learns that Laura is a Catholic. When Margaret openly accuses Laura of letting boys touch her, Laura implies that the rumors aren’t true; kids just pick on her because she was the first kid in the class to visibly start going through puberty.

Laura Danker Quotes in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

The Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. quotes below are all either spoken by Laura Danker or refer to Laura Danker. 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:
Puberty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The teacher wasn’t in the room when we got there. That is, the real teacher. There was this girl, who I thought was the teacher, but she turned out to be a kid in our class. She was very tall (that’s why I thought she was the teacher) with eyes shaped like a cat’s. You could see the outline of her bra through her blouse and you could also tell from the front that it wasn’t the smallest size. She sat down alone and didn’t talk to anyone. I wondered if maybe she was new too, because everybody else was busy talking and laughing about summer vacations and new hair styles and all that.

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker
Related Symbols: Bras
Page Number: 29
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

But on the other side of me things were even worse. I was next to Laura Danker! I was afraid to even look her way. Nancy warned me that reputations were catching. Well, I didn’t have to worry because Laura didn’t look my way either. She looked straight ahead.

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Nancy Wheeler, Laura Danker, Mr. Benedict
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

To make matters worse I had to sit facing Laura Danker. I hated her. I hated her for being so big and beautiful and having all the boys stare at her, including Mr. Benedict. Also, I hated her because she knew she was normal and I didn’t know a thing about me!

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker
Related Symbols: Bras
Page Number: 129-130
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19 Quotes

Now that really started me thinking. For one thing, I never knew she was Catholic. For another, I wondered what she said in Confession. I mean, did she talk about what she did with boys? And if she did, what did the priest say to her? Did she go to Confession every time she did something bad? Or did she save it all up and go once a month?

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Nancy Wheeler, Laura Danker
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:

“Don’t you think I know all about you and your friends? Do you think it’s any fun to be the biggest kid in the class?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I never thought about it.”

“Well, try thinking about it. Think about how you’d feel if you had to wear a bra in fourth grade and how everybody laughed and how you always had to cross your arms in front of you. And about how the boys called you dirty names just because of how you looked.”

I thought about it. “I’m sorry, Laura,” I said.

“I’ll bet!”

“I really am. If you want to know the truth…well, I wish I looked more like you than like me.”

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker (speaker), Nancy Wheeler
Related Symbols: Bras
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:

I really hurt Laura’s feelings. Why did you let me do that? I’ve been looking for you God. I looked in temple. I looked in church. And today, I looked for you when I wanted to confess. But you weren’t there. I didn’t feel you at all. Not the way I do when I talk to you at night. Why God? Why do I only feel you when I’m alone?

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker
Page Number: 138
Explanation and Analysis:
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Laura Danker Quotes in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

The Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. quotes below are all either spoken by Laura Danker or refer to Laura Danker. 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:
Puberty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The teacher wasn’t in the room when we got there. That is, the real teacher. There was this girl, who I thought was the teacher, but she turned out to be a kid in our class. She was very tall (that’s why I thought she was the teacher) with eyes shaped like a cat’s. You could see the outline of her bra through her blouse and you could also tell from the front that it wasn’t the smallest size. She sat down alone and didn’t talk to anyone. I wondered if maybe she was new too, because everybody else was busy talking and laughing about summer vacations and new hair styles and all that.

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker
Related Symbols: Bras
Page Number: 29
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

But on the other side of me things were even worse. I was next to Laura Danker! I was afraid to even look her way. Nancy warned me that reputations were catching. Well, I didn’t have to worry because Laura didn’t look my way either. She looked straight ahead.

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Nancy Wheeler, Laura Danker, Mr. Benedict
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

To make matters worse I had to sit facing Laura Danker. I hated her. I hated her for being so big and beautiful and having all the boys stare at her, including Mr. Benedict. Also, I hated her because she knew she was normal and I didn’t know a thing about me!

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker
Related Symbols: Bras
Page Number: 129-130
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19 Quotes

Now that really started me thinking. For one thing, I never knew she was Catholic. For another, I wondered what she said in Confession. I mean, did she talk about what she did with boys? And if she did, what did the priest say to her? Did she go to Confession every time she did something bad? Or did she save it all up and go once a month?

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Nancy Wheeler, Laura Danker
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:

“Don’t you think I know all about you and your friends? Do you think it’s any fun to be the biggest kid in the class?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I never thought about it.”

“Well, try thinking about it. Think about how you’d feel if you had to wear a bra in fourth grade and how everybody laughed and how you always had to cross your arms in front of you. And about how the boys called you dirty names just because of how you looked.”

I thought about it. “I’m sorry, Laura,” I said.

“I’ll bet!”

“I really am. If you want to know the truth…well, I wish I looked more like you than like me.”

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker (speaker), Nancy Wheeler
Related Symbols: Bras
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:

I really hurt Laura’s feelings. Why did you let me do that? I’ve been looking for you God. I looked in temple. I looked in church. And today, I looked for you when I wanted to confess. But you weren’t there. I didn’t feel you at all. Not the way I do when I talk to you at night. Why God? Why do I only feel you when I’m alone?

Related Characters: Margaret Simon (speaker), Laura Danker
Page Number: 138
Explanation and Analysis: