Breaking Night

by

Liz Murray

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Breaking Night makes teaching easy.
Lisa Murray is Liz Murray’s older sister. Though Lisa is a peripheral character in the later chapters of the memoir, she’s an important influence in Liz’s early life. As the older sister, Lisa sometimes teases Liz or pull childish pranks on her. However, Liz benefits from Lisa’s example in many ways, and—like many younger siblings—learns not to make her older sister’s mistakes. Lisa resembles Liz in many ways, but they have some important differences, too. Lisa tends to be more outspoken and more argumentative than her sister; as Liz puts it, she gets angry when she doesn’t receive what’s due to her. Liz, by contrast, is better at swallowing her pride and focusing on the long term. (Liz suggests that Lisa is more outspoken than her sister because she, Lisa, briefly lived in a wealthier foster home, and quickly became accustomed to getting as much food, attention, and love as she wanted.) Lisa also plays a pivotal role in convincing Liz to visit their mother when she’s at the end of her life.

Lisa Murray Quotes in Breaking Night

The Breaking Night quotes below are all either spoken by Lisa Murray or refer to Lisa Murray. 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:
Willpower and Independence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Lisa and I dined on Happy Meals in front of the black-and-white TV, to the sound of spoons clanking on the nearby table, chairs being pulled in—and those elongated moments of silence when we knew what they were concentrating on. Daddy had to do it for Ma because with her bad eyesight she could never find a vein.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Daddy / Peter Finnerty, Lisa Murray
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

I told Ma all but one detail—the fact that I knew it was wrong. I knew that all I had to do to end it was to call out for her. But I didn't, because Ron made things better for Ma, for Lisa and me. I didn't want to ruin that, so I failed to call out.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Lisa Murray, Ron
Page Number: 69
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

I don't recall Daddy ever talking about Meredith at home or in front of Ma. She never came to visit. Sometimes it felt as though I made up the memory of her, but I knew I hadn't. And every now and then Lisa and I would talk about how we wanted to meet Meredith again, and get to know our big sister. But no one talked about Daddy's other life before us, or our other sister.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Daddy / Peter Finnerty, Lisa Murray, Meredith
Page Number: 74
Explanation and Analysis:

When Ma was plastered to the couch, flies buzzing over her head, cigarette butts floating in her nearby bottle of beer, it just didn't seem right to tell her that I’d spent my day at a picnic or at the pool, playing in the sun, eating home-cooked meals with Rick and Danny's family. The same went for Daddy and Lisa. Any joy I managed outside of our home felt, to me, like a form of betrayal.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Daddy / Peter Finnerty, Lisa Murray, Rick Hernandez, Danny Hernandez, Liz Hernandez
Page Number: 77
Explanation and Analysis:
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Lisa Murray Quotes in Breaking Night

The Breaking Night quotes below are all either spoken by Lisa Murray or refer to Lisa Murray. 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:
Willpower and Independence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Lisa and I dined on Happy Meals in front of the black-and-white TV, to the sound of spoons clanking on the nearby table, chairs being pulled in—and those elongated moments of silence when we knew what they were concentrating on. Daddy had to do it for Ma because with her bad eyesight she could never find a vein.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Daddy / Peter Finnerty, Lisa Murray
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

I told Ma all but one detail—the fact that I knew it was wrong. I knew that all I had to do to end it was to call out for her. But I didn't, because Ron made things better for Ma, for Lisa and me. I didn't want to ruin that, so I failed to call out.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Lisa Murray, Ron
Page Number: 69
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

I don't recall Daddy ever talking about Meredith at home or in front of Ma. She never came to visit. Sometimes it felt as though I made up the memory of her, but I knew I hadn't. And every now and then Lisa and I would talk about how we wanted to meet Meredith again, and get to know our big sister. But no one talked about Daddy's other life before us, or our other sister.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Daddy / Peter Finnerty, Lisa Murray, Meredith
Page Number: 74
Explanation and Analysis:

When Ma was plastered to the couch, flies buzzing over her head, cigarette butts floating in her nearby bottle of beer, it just didn't seem right to tell her that I’d spent my day at a picnic or at the pool, playing in the sun, eating home-cooked meals with Rick and Danny's family. The same went for Daddy and Lisa. Any joy I managed outside of our home felt, to me, like a form of betrayal.

Related Characters: Elizabeth “Liz” Murray (speaker), Ma / Jean Murray, Daddy / Peter Finnerty, Lisa Murray, Rick Hernandez, Danny Hernandez, Liz Hernandez
Page Number: 77
Explanation and Analysis: