Luisa Rey Character Analysis in Cloud Atlas

Luisa Ray is the protagonist of “Half-Lives,” a detective novel manuscript that Timothy Cavendish receives. She is a 26-year-old journalist who writes a gossip column but who dreams of writing more serious stories like her father, the renowned Vietnam correspondent Lester Rey. She is one of the characters with a comet birthmark. Luisa gets her opportunity for a big story when the scientist Rufus Sixsmith reveals to her that a planned nuclear plant on Swannekke Island carries a serious risk of disaster. After hired assassin Bill Smoke murders Rufus as part of the cover-up, Luisa spends much of the story searching for a report from Rufus that details all the nuclear plant’s problems. Meanwhile, a nefarious group of people associated with Seaboard Power all try to stop or even kill her before she can get her story to print. Luisa’s story demonstrates both the danger and necessity of telling the truth, as she ultimately triumphs over forces much bigger than herself by stopping the construction of the dangerous nuclear plant—but only after overcoming serious threats to her own life.

Luisa Rey Quotes in Cloud Atlas

The Cloud Atlas quotes below are all either spoken by Luisa Rey or refer to Luisa Rey. 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:

She plays with that birthmark in the hollow of my shoulder, the one you said resembles a comet—can’t abide the woman dabbling with my skin.

Related Characters: Robert Frobisher (speaker), Timothy Cavendish, Meronym, Jocasta van Outryve de Crommelynck, Vyvyan Ayrs, Rufus Sixsmith, Luisa Rey, Sonmi~451

Related Symbols: The Comet Birthmark

Page Number and Citation: 85

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage describes a birthmark on Robert’s shoulder that Jocasta notices while having sex with him. The passage is important for several reasons, perhaps above all because it introduces the comet, one of the most important images in the whole novel. At first, the comet birthmark seems to be a casual aside. Robert mentions that Rufus himself is the one who noted the birthmark’s resemblance to a comet, perhaps suggesting that Robert and Rufus have themselves had sex with each other before. But when the next chapter reveals that Luisa Rey also has a comet birthmark in the same location, 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

Robert Frobisher mentions a comet-shaped birthmark between his shoulder blade and collarbone.

I just don’t believe in this crap. I just don’t believe it. I don’t.

Related Characters: Luisa Rey (speaker), Robert Frobisher, Adam Ewing, Rufus Sixsmith

Related Symbols: The Comet Birthmark

Page Number and Citation: 120

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote contains narration in normal font and Luisa’s thoughts in italics. It describes the moment after Rufus Sixsmith’s assassination when Luisa reads Robert Frobisher’s letters to Rufus and realizes that she has the exact same birthmark as Robert. One of the key elements of Cloud Atlas’s structure is that in the first half of the book, each character reads (or watches) the events of the previous chapter, with Robert reading Adam Ewing’s journal, then Luisa reading Robert’s letters, then Timothy Cavendish reading a manuscript of Luisa’s story, and so on. This nested structure of the novel, tied together by 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. Commo

He yanks the wheel sharply, and metal screams as the Beetle is sandwiched between his car and the bridge railing until the railing unzips from its concrete and the Beetle lurches out into space.

Related Characters: Bill Smoke, Luisa Rey, Rufus Sixsmith

Page Number and Citation: 141

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage describes the moment when the hired assassin Bill Smoke rams his black Chevy into Luisa Rey’s Volkswagen Beetle. Luisa has a report from Rufus Sixsmith that will prove that Seaboard Power is trying to cover up the possibility of a serious accident at their Swannekke nuclear plant, and so Bill Smoke’s job is to get rid of Luisa in a way that looks like an accident. Fittingly for a man named “Smoke,” Bill Smoke tries to cover up the truth, suggesting that perhaps the real truth doesn’t matter in a world where some companies are powerful enough to 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. M

We see a game beyond the endgame. I refer to my Declarations, Archivist. Media has flooded Nea So Copros with my Catechisms. Every schoolchild in corpocracy knows my twelve “blasphemies” now.

Related Characters: Sonmi~451 (speaker), The Archivist, Boardman Mephi, Hae-Joo Im, Zachry Bailey, Luisa Rey

Page Number and Citation: 349

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote comes from near the end of Sonmi’s story, where she reveals a twist: she believes that many of the Union activists that she met on her journey, like Boardman Mephi and Hae-Joo Im, were actually people the government planted in order to make the public afraid of giving rights to fabricants. Moreover, despite knowing about this deception, Sonmi decided to go along with them anyway and write her Declarations. As with many stories in Cloud Atlas, including Zachry’s in the previous chapter, the ambiguous ending of Sonmi’s story raises more questions than it answers. Is Sonmi correct that 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. Voluptat

“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?”

Related Characters: Luisa Rey (speaker), Dr. Henry Goose

Page Number and Citation: 403

Explanation and Analysis:

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

Seaboardgate is no longer her scoop. Swannekke swarms with reporters, Senate investigators, FBI agents, county police, and Hollywood scriptwriters. Swannekke B is in mothballs; C is suspended.

Related Characters: Luisa Rey, Joe Napier, Lloyd Hooks, William Wiley

Page Number and Citation: 435

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage describes the moment when, after Luisa successfully exposes the corruption at the Swannekke nuclear power plant, she leaves the story over to others. The made-up word “Seaboardgate” is a reference to Watergate, which happened in real life just a few years before the fictional events of Luisa’s story. The different people who swoop down on Swannekke all reflect different ways of telling the truth (or twisting it), showing how politicians, law enforcement, and entertainers all try to put their own stamp on major events. Although Luisa’s story ends happily in many ways, with her alive and Lloyd Hooks 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

Spent the fortnight gone in the music room, reworking my year’s fragments into a “sextet for overlapping soloists”: piano, clarinet, ‘cello, flute, oboe, and violin, each in its own language of key, scale, and color. In the first set, each solo is interrupted by its successor: in the second, each interruption is recontinued, in order. Revolutionary or gimmicky? Shan’t know until it’s finished, and by then it’ll be too late, but it’s the first thing I think of when I wake, and the last thing I think of before I fall asleep.

Related Characters: Robert Frobisher (speaker), Luisa Rey

Related Symbols: The Comet Birthmark

Page Number and Citation: 445

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Robert Frobisher describes his plan for a piece of music called the Cloud Atlas Sextet. As Luisa Rey’s story reveals, this sextet never becomes a major success, but it does go on to become a cult classic among record collectors. With the reference to six “overlapping soloists” the structure of Robert’s composition has clear parallels to the structure of the novel Cloud Atlas itself, which contains six stories that each focus on a different character and where each story gets “interrupted by its successor,” just like in Robert’s composition. Robert also mentions how each solo is in 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 necessitat

Luisa Rey Character Timeline in Cloud Atlas

The timeline below shows where the character Luisa Rey appears in Cloud Atlas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

2. The 26-year-old Luisa Rey hears a noise from the balcony next door. She feels nauseous from eating greasy... (full context)

3. As Luisa goes to take the elevator, Rufus holds the door for her with his cane. As... (full context)

...lost faith in law enforcement and became a globe-traveling journalist. Even after the birth of Luisa, he rarely stopped traveling, and she didn’t see much of him. Back in the present,... (full context)

5. Luisa tells Rufus about her encounters with Hollywood people like Hitchcock, who was witty but distant.... (full context)

7. The 10-year-old Javier Gomez is looking at stamps at Luisa’s apartment. When Luisa gets back, she’s angry because Javier had to jump across the balcony... (full context)

...sewer that eat people. When it’s her turn to pitch to her boss, Dom Grelsch, Luisa is tired of reporting on untruthful stories. Instead, she proposes a story she heard from... (full context)

9. Luisa drives her VW Beetle to Swannekke Island for her story, passing protestors who all oppose... (full context)

12. During her interview, Luisa pretends to leave to for the restroom, then tries to find Rufus’s office. The office... (full context)

...day and accepts a room in the airport hotel. 16. Javier is doing homework at Luisa’s place while she works. Luisa gets a call from her mother that she lets go... (full context)

...letters that his old friend Robert Frobisher wrote almost 50 years ago. He worries for Luisa’s safety but hopes all will be well once he gets to Cambridge. 18. An assassin,... (full context)

19. Before a Spyglass meeting, Luisa reads the newspaper and is shocked to see an article about Rufus’s death, which gets... (full context)

21. Luisa gets back to the office, and Grelsch is angry that she’s late for a meeting... (full context)

22. Luisa calls a man at a music store on the telephone and asks about a recording... (full context)

24. Hal Brodie surprises Luisa in her apartment, as he’s taking books and records from her shelves. He says he... (full context)

25. Luisa drives her VW to find the anti-nuclear protestors who were near Swannekke Island. She meets... (full context)

...Rufus’s death and imaging what might happen if he were to betray Seaboard. He sees Luisa wander into the hotel. 29. Grimaldi sits in a banquet hall, listening to the head... (full context)

31. Isaac Sachs talks to Luisa for a long time. He gets drunk and tries to shift the subject away from... (full context)

32. The next morning, Luisa wonders what would’ve happened if she’d invited Isaac to her room. They have plans to... (full context)

34. Li comes to Luisa’s hotel room alone, searching for Rufus’s report, since oil companies will pay a lot for... (full context)

36. Sometime later, Luisa’s phone rings, waking her from a dream. It’s Isaac. He tells her that before he... (full context)

38. Luisa tries to sneak away and feels just like Robert Frobisher ducking out of a hotel... (full context)

...VW. Bill Smoke threatens the guard’s family and advises him to just look away. When Luisa comes to the gate, the guard lets her pass. Bill Smoke gets into his black... (full context)

...lines. He intends to make some edits, however, such as removing the hippie idea that Luisa Rey is a reincarnated version of Robert Frobisher. But he has to stop editing when... (full context)

40. The cold water shocks Luisa Rey back to life. She struggles to get out of the vehicle before she realizes... (full context)

...airplane, Isaac Sachs wonders whether he did the right thing by giving Rufus’s report to Luisa. A suitcase in the plane’s baggage area holds enough C-4 to blow the whole plane... (full context)

...he notices Bill Smoke, who holds up three fingers to indicate that Grimaldi, Isaac, and Luisa are all dead. Lloyd continues his speech undisturbed. 43. On Swannekke Island, Hester Van Zandt... (full context)

44. One of Hester’s men goes to a payphone and calls Joe Napier. He hints Luisa might be alive and asks how much Napier would be willing to pay for her... (full context)

46. Napier reveals to Luisa how he used to work with her father (Lester Rey) as a police officer. He... (full context)

47. As they leave the apartment, Javier asks Luisa if she wishes she could see the future. They debate whether seeing the future would... (full context)

49. Luisa’s stepfather has guests over for a fundraiser, many of them young men, and they discuss... (full context)

51. Next Monday, rumors swirl at Spyglass that the magazine is going under. Meanwhile, Luisa ponders the recent jet explosion. She knows why people might want Isaac dead but can’t... (full context)

53. Luisa goes to the music store that carries Robert Frobisher’s Cloud Atlas Sextet. Although it’s a... (full context)

56. The next morning, Judith wakes up and is surprised to see Luisa already eating breakfast. She’s up early to go pick up her things at the office.... (full context)

57. On her last day at Spyglass, Luisa gets coffee at a diner first and is surprised to see Grelsch there. Grelsch says... (full context)

...he stashed a copy of his report in a safety deposit box at a bank. Luisa drives to the bank but doesn’t notice a beat-up black Chevy parked out front. (full context)

...to quit but Bill Smoke gets too involved in his job. Li is waiting for Luisa, and Li’s men pounce on Luisa when she goes into the vault. In Cantonese, Li... (full context)

61. The bomb blast sends Luisa flying. Someone helps Luisa out of the rubble and forces her toward a black Chevy.... (full context)

...Napier to retire quietly. They enter the warehouse and split up to try to find Luisa. 64. Napier and Luisa enter a storeroom and wedge the door shut behind them. They... (full context)

65. Napier and Luisa get out of the warehouse and take a subway. Napier says he’s taking Luisa to... (full context)

...of the Prophetess: Best-preserved schooner in the world.” At the art museum earlier, Megan gave Luisa a map that shows that the Starfish sits just a little past the Prophetess. Now,... (full context)

70. Luisa reads an article about new Seaboard CEO Hooks skipping his bail. As an eyewitness to... (full context)

Luisa Rey Character Analysis

Luisa Rey Quotes in Cloud Atlas

Chapter 2 Quotes

Chapter 3 Quotes

Chapter 7 Quotes

Chapter 9 Quotes

Chapter 10 Quotes

Luisa Rey Character Timeline in Cloud Atlas