Cloudstreet

by

Tim Winton

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Cloudstreet makes teaching easy.

Lester Lamb Character Analysis

Lester is Oriel's husband and the father of Quick, Fish, Lon, Hattie, Red, and Elaine. At various times in his life before the events of the novel, Lester was a constable, a military man, a musician, and a vaudeville performer. Like his wife, Lester was a deeply religious Christian until his son Fish drowned and came back to life with his mind permanently impaired. This disappointing “miracle” causes Lester and his wife to lose their faith in God, as both of them dearly miss the clever and lovable boy Fish used to be. Regardless, Lester strives more than anyone else to continue loving Fish despite the boy’s condition, reprimanding the other Lamb children when they don’t treat Fish with respect. Inwardly, Lester still finds Fish's childlike behavior painful to watch at times, but Lester’s development as a character is driven by his desire to find something to believe in, whether it’s God or just common decency. Lester gains a new sense of religious faith by the end of the novel, but he admits to Quick that his ongoing perseverance is fueled entirely by love for his family, and their love for him in return. These bonds are eventually expanded to include the Pickles family as well, and he's glad for the extra company. Although he feels outshone by his wife, Lester is a constant source of love, humor, and dependable friendship for the denizens of Cloudstreet.

Lester Lamb Quotes in Cloudstreet

The Cloudstreet quotes below are all either spoken by Lester Lamb or refer to Lester Lamb. 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:
Chance, Choice, and Personal Responsibility Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

I only believe in one thing, Les, Sam solemnly uttered. Hairy Hand of God, otherwise known as Lady Luck. Our Lady, if she’s shinin that lamp on ya, she’ll give you what you want. There’s two other things people say are worth believin in—the Labor Party and God, but they’re a bit on the iffy side for my money. The ALP and the Big Fella, well they always got what I call a tendency to try an give ya what they think ya need. And what a bloke needs most is to get what he wants most. Ya with me?

Related Characters: Sam Pickles (speaker), Lester Lamb
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

He wondered what he’d done to turn Quick away. He secretly hoped for an end to it like the return of the son in the story and it made him wonder if he wasn’t still half believing. Those Bible stories and words weren’t the kind you forgot. It was like they’d happened to you all along, that they were your own memories. You didn’t always know what they meant, but you did know how they felt.

Related Characters: Lester Lamb, Quick Lamb
Page Number: 164-165
Explanation and Analysis:

The blade turns and turns, slow, slower and Lester thinks—is this all there is to it? Just chance, luck, the spin of the knife? Isn’t there a pattern at all; a plan?

Related Characters: Lester Lamb
Related Symbols: The Spinning Knife, Cloudstreet
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Oriel reared with sudden passion: No you don’t. You know about boats. You can’t steer if you’re not goin faster than the current. If you’re not under your own steam then yer just debris, stuff floatin. We’re not frightened animals, Lester, just waitin with some dumb thoughtless patience for the tide to turn. I’m not spendin my livin breathin life quietly takin the good with the bad. I’m not standin for the bad; bad people, bad luck, bad ways, not even bad breath. We make good, Lester. We make war on the bad and don’t surrender.

Related Characters: Oriel Lamb (speaker), Lester Lamb
Related Symbols: Cloudstreet
Page Number: 254
Explanation and Analysis:

He’d spent years arresting people for things both mild and maniacal. He’d been to war and lived a Depression on the land, been a father and a husband, and this week, even an adulterer, but it counted for nothing because here he was with Beryl Lee on the end of his bed beggin the question: why was it that he didn’t know a thing about the underlying nature of people, the shadows and shifts, the hungers and hopes that caused them to do the things they did?

Related Characters: Lester Lamb, Beryl Lee
Related Symbols: Cloudstreet
Page Number: 291
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Cloudstreet LitChart as a printable PDF.
Cloudstreet PDF

Lester Lamb Quotes in Cloudstreet

The Cloudstreet quotes below are all either spoken by Lester Lamb or refer to Lester Lamb. 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:
Chance, Choice, and Personal Responsibility Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

I only believe in one thing, Les, Sam solemnly uttered. Hairy Hand of God, otherwise known as Lady Luck. Our Lady, if she’s shinin that lamp on ya, she’ll give you what you want. There’s two other things people say are worth believin in—the Labor Party and God, but they’re a bit on the iffy side for my money. The ALP and the Big Fella, well they always got what I call a tendency to try an give ya what they think ya need. And what a bloke needs most is to get what he wants most. Ya with me?

Related Characters: Sam Pickles (speaker), Lester Lamb
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

He wondered what he’d done to turn Quick away. He secretly hoped for an end to it like the return of the son in the story and it made him wonder if he wasn’t still half believing. Those Bible stories and words weren’t the kind you forgot. It was like they’d happened to you all along, that they were your own memories. You didn’t always know what they meant, but you did know how they felt.

Related Characters: Lester Lamb, Quick Lamb
Page Number: 164-165
Explanation and Analysis:

The blade turns and turns, slow, slower and Lester thinks—is this all there is to it? Just chance, luck, the spin of the knife? Isn’t there a pattern at all; a plan?

Related Characters: Lester Lamb
Related Symbols: The Spinning Knife, Cloudstreet
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Oriel reared with sudden passion: No you don’t. You know about boats. You can’t steer if you’re not goin faster than the current. If you’re not under your own steam then yer just debris, stuff floatin. We’re not frightened animals, Lester, just waitin with some dumb thoughtless patience for the tide to turn. I’m not spendin my livin breathin life quietly takin the good with the bad. I’m not standin for the bad; bad people, bad luck, bad ways, not even bad breath. We make good, Lester. We make war on the bad and don’t surrender.

Related Characters: Oriel Lamb (speaker), Lester Lamb
Related Symbols: Cloudstreet
Page Number: 254
Explanation and Analysis:

He’d spent years arresting people for things both mild and maniacal. He’d been to war and lived a Depression on the land, been a father and a husband, and this week, even an adulterer, but it counted for nothing because here he was with Beryl Lee on the end of his bed beggin the question: why was it that he didn’t know a thing about the underlying nature of people, the shadows and shifts, the hungers and hopes that caused them to do the things they did?

Related Characters: Lester Lamb, Beryl Lee
Related Symbols: Cloudstreet
Page Number: 291
Explanation and Analysis: