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Dermot Hoggins
Dr. Henry Goose is a strange Englishman who meets up with Adam Ewing while they’re both on the Chatham Isles. Henry initially tells Adam that he’s in the area to collect teeth, all as part of an elaborate revenge plot against some people in Britain who have disrespected him. Eventually, he and Adam seem to bond and become friends over chess, but Henry reveals at the end of the book that he has been poisoning Adam the whole time in order to steal his possessions. Henry’s behavior is unsettling—he pretends to be Adam’s friend for months, all so that he has a chance to kill him for a little bit of money. Henry views other humans as little more than pieces of meat, and he represents the lengths people will go to for the sake of greed.
Dr. Henry Goose Quotes in Cloud Atlas
The Cloud Atlas quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Henry Goose or refer to Dr. Henry Goose. 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 1 Quotes
Beyond the Indian hamlet, upon a forlorn strand, I happened on a trail of recent footprints. Through rotting kelp, sea cocoa-nuts & bamboo, the tracks led me to their maker, a White man, his trowzers & Pea-jacket rolled up, sporting a kempt beard & an outsized Beaver, shoveling & sifting the cindery sand with a teaspoon so intently that he noticed me only after I had hailed him from ten yards away. Thus it was, I made the acquaintance of Dr. Henry Goose, surgeon to the London nobility.
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Explanation and Analysis:
These are the first few lines of the novel. The passage marks the beginning of Adam Ewing’s journal and describes how he met the unusual Dr. Henry Goose. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the passage is how it mimics the writing style of real 19th-century journals. The archaic spellings like “trowzers” contributes to the feeling that the journal is an authentic artifact rather than what it really is, which is the work of a contemporary author writing historical fiction. Further contributing to the journal’s authenticity is how it starts right in the middle of the action, as if 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. Mo
Chapter 9 Quotes
“I ask three simple questions. How did he get that power? How is he using it? And how can it be taken off the sonofabitch?”
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This is something that Luisa Rey says during a conversation with some young men at a party hosted by her mother (Judith Rey) and stepfather. Although Luisa’s mother hopes Luisa might meet a nice young man, Luisa’s choice of conversation topics shows that she’s not great at making small talk—and perhaps has no desire to improve. Although Luisa’s quote seems to be an offhand comment about Cold War politics, it ties into several of the main themes in her story and in Cloud Atlas in general. Luisa’s reference to people in power being “sonofabitches” suggests a distrust of authority, which 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. Volup
Chapter 11 Quotes
“The weak are meat the strong do eat.”
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This quote, which occurs during a conversation with Preacher Horrox and gets repeated a few pages later, outlines Dr. Henry Goose’s philosophy of how some humans achieve power over others. Henry’s philosophy bears a strong resemblance to Darwin’s concept of “survival of the fittest,” and perhaps an even stronger resemblance to Social Darwinism, a social and political movement that loosely used Darwin as an excuse to champion eugenics and which often served as a justification for racism. The events of Adam Ewing’s journal predate the publication of Darwin’s most famous work, On the Origin of Species, but it’s almost as 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
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Dr. Henry Goose Character Timeline in Cloud Atlas
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Henry Goose appears in Cloud Atlas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...had outside an Indian village: he noticed some tracks and follows them to find Dr. Henry Goose, a surgeon who is white and from London. Adam asks Dr. Goose if he...
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Henry explains that he is in India because an old marchioness in London spread rumors about...
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...the meantime, he’s staying at a place called the Musket, and he happens to see Henry (who is also staying there), and they have breakfast together. Adam decides that, while Henry...
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Saturday, 9th November—Adam Ewing’s ship still looks like it’s in bad shape, so he and Henry head for a local beach. As they get outside of the Indian village, they hear...
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...men, including Mr. Boerhaave (the first mate of Adam’s ship), find Indian girls. Adam and Henry disapprove, so they decide to go out instead of taking breakfast. Adam goes back to...
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Adam Ewing and Henry go to the local chapel for a simple service. Afterward, an old man from their...
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Monday, 11th November—While Adam Ewing and Henry are having breakfast at the inn, Mr. Evans comes to see them. A widowed neighbor...
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...the ship’s repairs in the shipyard. To Adam’s surprise, the man asks to speak with Henry in private. Later—Adam finds out the captain has an illness that he doesn’t want to...
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Wednesday, 13th November—One morning, while Henry is off treating the widow again, Adam Ewing goes to climb a hill called Conical...
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Evening—Henry gets back to the Musket after treating the widow. He’s concerned to see Adam Ewing’s...
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...cramped, making the voyage unpleasant. Adam gets a pleasant surprise, however, when he suddenly sees Henry. It turns out Henry accepted a position as the ship’s doctor.
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...don’t like working on Fridays, but Captain Molyneux puts them to work. Adam Ewing and Henry stay out of the way. Afternoon—A Swedish sailor comes to visit Adam and Henry. The...
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...of his situation, he hears someone yell and fall onto the deck. Someone calls for Henry, the doctor. But there’s no need for a doctor—the man is dead. Adam is relieved...
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Wednesday, 20th November—Henry examines Adam Ewing and determines he does have a parasite. It’s a Polynesian worm that,...
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...2nd December—It’s hot and miserable on the ship. Adam Ewing relaxes by playing chess with Henry. Recently, Autua thanked Adam for saving him and said he hoped he’d have the chance...
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Saturday, 7th December—Adam Ewing’s eyes are yellowy, with red rims around the outside, but Henry assures him this is the medicine doing its work. Sunday, 8th December—Adam and Henry conduct...
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Chapter 11
...first time in many weeks, arriving at a Polynesian island called Raiatea. Captain Molyneux invites Henry Goose and Adam to come ashore to a settlement called Nazareth, in Bethlehem Bay. Adam...
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...three weeks away by sea and has grown in size considerably since the gold rush. Henry’s reputation as a doctor causes some of the locals to seek him out. Adam Ewing...
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That night, Henry complains to Adam Ewing that all his patients that day were women who exaggerated minor...
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Wednesday, 18th December—Adam Ewing’s headaches get worse, so Henry gives him larger doses of vermicide. The crew members manage to catch a shark and...
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Christmas Eve—Adam Ewing’s finger swells so big that Henry has to cut off his wedding ring. Henry knows a goldsmith in Hawaii who can...
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Boxing Day—Rafael hangs himself from the mainmast. Adam Ewing is shocked and doesn’t understand why. Henry repeats a rumor he heard that Boerhaave raped Rafael, not just on Christmas but frequently....
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...Ewing’s condition becomes so severe that he can’t hide his condition from Captain Molyneux anymore. Henry tells the captain and Boerhaave that Adam’s parasite is contagious, so they’ll stay away. Adam...
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Henry’s lies surprise Adam Ewing. He suddenly gets the idea that Henry might be poisoning him...
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...making the two men equal. Later, Adam receives some of his things—Captain Molyneux sent them. Henry apparently escaped and fled somewhere in Honolulu. It’s Adam’s 34th birthday.
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