Dessie is the unmarried daughter of Sam and Liza, who runs a successful dressmaking business in town. She is deeply funny and entertaining, and her dress shop is a haven for women. Around Dessie, women can act human, and do not have to be feminine, ladylike, or dainty. Dessie has her heart broken by a mysterious man, and is never the same afterwards. She is accidentally killed by Tom when he gives her the wrong medication for her stomachache.
Dessie Hamilton Quotes in East of Eden
The East of Eden quotes below are all either spoken by Dessie Hamilton or refer to Dessie Hamilton. 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:
).
Chapter 23
Quotes
The door was closed to men. It was a sanctuary where women could be themselves—smelly, wanton, mystic, conceited, truthful, and interested…At Dessie’s they were women who went to the toilet and overate and scratched and farted. And from this freedom came laughter, roars of laughter.
Related Characters:
John Steinbeck (speaker), Dessie Hamilton
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Dessie Hamilton Character Timeline in East of Eden
The timeline below shows where the character Dessie Hamilton appears in East of Eden. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
...everyone in the family. In addition to the boys there are five girls: Una, Lizzie, Dessie (a joker), Olive (who is the narrator’s mother) and Mollie, an adorable youngster.
(full context)
Chapter 23
...without making something of a mess in his mind. Of all his family, Tom loves Dessie best, for she is so lighthearted that she balances out his seriousness. The dress shop...
(full context)
One day, however, Dessie falls in love. The narrator only knows that the affair is gray and terrible, and...
(full context)
Chapter 31
...hears that Adam is thinking of moving to Salinas, she tells him to go see Dessie, who is thinking of selling her house and moving to the ranch to be with...
(full context)
Adam goes straight from the Steinbeck’s house to Dessie’s house. He goes to a little place across the street from Dessie’s to eat dinner,...
(full context)
Chapter 32
Dessie, like all of the Hamiltons, is capable of great versatility except when it comes to...
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When Dessie moves back to the ranch, Tom meets her at the train station; he is clearly...
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Dessie has been bothered by stomach pains for quite some time, but hides them from Tom....
(full context)
Chapter 33
Tom grows happier and happier, and Dessie is glad to see him improving, but becomes even more convinced that she cannot confide...
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...and Will shoots him down. Tom leaves feeling dejected. When he arrives home he sees Dessie curled up in pain. He fixes her some salts and makes her drink them. She...
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A week after Dessie’s funeral, Tom returns to the ranch. His sins announce themselves in his head over and...
(full context)
