Ella Minnow Pea

by

Mark Dunn

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Ella Minnow Pea makes teaching easy.
The island of Nollop’s namesake, who is credited with creating the pangram “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” When tiles begin to fall off of Nollop’s commemorative statue in the island’s main square, the island’s governing body (the High Island Council) interprets this as a sign that Nollopians should not use the letters that have fallen. As a result, the Council bans citizens from writing or speaking words that contain these letters and it enforces strict punishments for those who slip up. Gradually, Nollop’s importance and intelligence begins to take on that of a deity in the eyes of the Council, he’s referred to as “omnipotent,” “omniscient,” “Almighty,” and “Supreme.” The Council believes Nollop is superior because no one has been able to come up with a shorter pangram, and this fact is what brings about their faith in him. The Council uses this idea as justification for a lot of corruption as they carry out punishments against those who use banned letters in Nollop’s name, annex people’s property for churches to worship Nollop, and increasingly violate citizens’ freedom of speech. What is actually known about Nollop becomes somewhat complicated by other people: Mittie says that Nollop was actually an imbecile, and by the end of the novel, Councilman Lyttle reveals that Nollop may not have actually come up with the pangram for which he is credited. All of these facts serve to show how powerful a hold the Council has on the town, since these facts were all available to them and yet they still used his achievement as a justification for their statutes.

Nevin Nollop Quotes in Ella Minnow Pea

The Ella Minnow Pea quotes below are all either spoken by Nevin Nollop or refer to Nevin Nollop. 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:
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

In so doing Most Senior Council Member Willingham and his four fellow counciliteurs left themselves scant room for the possibility that the tile fell simply because, after one hundred years, whatever fixant had been holding it in place, could simply no longer perform its function. This explanation seemed quite the logical one to me, as well as to my fellow laundresses.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop
Related Symbols: Glue
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Nollop is not God. Nollop is silent. We must respect that silence and make our decisions and judgments based upon science and fact and simple old-fashioned common sense—a commodity absent for too long from those in governmental elevatia, where its employ would do us all much good.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy (speaker), Ella Minnow Pea, High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Related Symbols: Glue
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:

7. The falling tiles can represent only one thing: a challenge—a summons to bettering our lot in the face of such deleterious complacency, and in the concomitant presence of false contentment and rank self-indulgence.

8. There is no room for alternative interpretation.

9. Interpretation of events in any other way represents heresy.

10. Heretics will be punished, as was, for example, Mr. Nollop’s saucy stenographer, who was cashiered for flippantly announcing to her employer the ease with which she could, herself, create such a sentence as his.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy, High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Page Number: 55
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

When I bake, I do not have to speak. When I bake, I do not have to make sense of anything except the ingredients summoned by memory that I have laid out in front of me. Sometimes the children offer to help, but I do not accept. This is something best done alone. Something I do well. One of the few things I can actually do.

Related Characters: Agnes (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Mittie Purcy
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:

In taking “ed” away (Goodbye, Ed!), the most useful tool to express the past tense in the English language, we are being robbed of great chunks of our very history.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), Tassie Purcy, High Island Council, Nevin Nollop
Page Number: 69
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

You’ve given me the scientific reason for why the tiles are falling, Mr. Warren. But might not Nollop be working through the science? Have you ever thought of this? The science, in point of fact, actually serving his specific purposes. Therefore, that of which I must have positive proof—the single fact that I must know for certain is that the Great Nollop isn’t working at all!

Related Characters: Rederick Lyttle (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Related Symbols: Glue
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

The prospect of actually being able to control the outcome of this ghastly assault on our collective spirit, let alone our very humanity, by turning this offensive upon its cephalus, has sent some among our subterra movement to heights of unencompassable ecstasy.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Mittie Purcy, Nate Warren
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

The Council representative—his voice: even, treacly polite—gave his response again, with slight elaboration: “Mr. Cummels, it is the Council’s earnest conviction that there is no other Supreme Being but Almighty Nollop. None whatsoever. Praise Nollop. Nollop eternal.”

Related Characters: High Island Council (speaker), Mittie Purcy (speaker), Nevin Nollop, Rory Cummels
Page Number: 121-122
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

Alto I no tat Nollop isn’t trewlee going awae. Tee reason: I am not going awae. I will learn to tawg in noomerals. I will learn sign langwage—anee-ting to stae in Nollop.

[…]

Insitentallee, ewe are propaplee reating mie last letter to ewe. It is now simplee too tiring to write. To sae watt I most sae in langwage one mae onterstant.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Page Number: 187-188
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

No mo Nollop pomp!
No mo Nollop poo poo!
No mo 4 pop/1 moll Nollop looloo poop!
No no no mo plop, plop, plop, plomp!
No mo Nollop!
No, mon, no! O Noooooooo!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
— “LMNOP

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop
Page Number: 197
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

All the Council members save Lyttle have tendered their resignations. Immediately thereafter Harton Mangrove attempted suicide with his necktie. It was a clumsy attempt and quickly foiled. Following our excursion to the vault, Lyttle, Tom and I proceeded to the cenotaph, climbed to the top, and with sledgehammers in hand, initiated, in earnest, an act of destructive revisionism.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Rederick Lyttle, Tom, Harton Mangrove
Page Number: 205
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Ella Minnow Pea LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ella Minnow Pea PDF

Nevin Nollop Quotes in Ella Minnow Pea

The Ella Minnow Pea quotes below are all either spoken by Nevin Nollop or refer to Nevin Nollop. 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:
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

In so doing Most Senior Council Member Willingham and his four fellow counciliteurs left themselves scant room for the possibility that the tile fell simply because, after one hundred years, whatever fixant had been holding it in place, could simply no longer perform its function. This explanation seemed quite the logical one to me, as well as to my fellow laundresses.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop
Related Symbols: Glue
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Nollop is not God. Nollop is silent. We must respect that silence and make our decisions and judgments based upon science and fact and simple old-fashioned common sense—a commodity absent for too long from those in governmental elevatia, where its employ would do us all much good.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy (speaker), Ella Minnow Pea, High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Related Symbols: Glue
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:

7. The falling tiles can represent only one thing: a challenge—a summons to bettering our lot in the face of such deleterious complacency, and in the concomitant presence of false contentment and rank self-indulgence.

8. There is no room for alternative interpretation.

9. Interpretation of events in any other way represents heresy.

10. Heretics will be punished, as was, for example, Mr. Nollop’s saucy stenographer, who was cashiered for flippantly announcing to her employer the ease with which she could, herself, create such a sentence as his.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy, High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Page Number: 55
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

When I bake, I do not have to speak. When I bake, I do not have to make sense of anything except the ingredients summoned by memory that I have laid out in front of me. Sometimes the children offer to help, but I do not accept. This is something best done alone. Something I do well. One of the few things I can actually do.

Related Characters: Agnes (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Mittie Purcy
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:

In taking “ed” away (Goodbye, Ed!), the most useful tool to express the past tense in the English language, we are being robbed of great chunks of our very history.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), Tassie Purcy, High Island Council, Nevin Nollop
Page Number: 69
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

You’ve given me the scientific reason for why the tiles are falling, Mr. Warren. But might not Nollop be working through the science? Have you ever thought of this? The science, in point of fact, actually serving his specific purposes. Therefore, that of which I must have positive proof—the single fact that I must know for certain is that the Great Nollop isn’t working at all!

Related Characters: Rederick Lyttle (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Related Symbols: Glue
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

The prospect of actually being able to control the outcome of this ghastly assault on our collective spirit, let alone our very humanity, by turning this offensive upon its cephalus, has sent some among our subterra movement to heights of unencompassable ecstasy.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Mittie Purcy, Nate Warren
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

The Council representative—his voice: even, treacly polite—gave his response again, with slight elaboration: “Mr. Cummels, it is the Council’s earnest conviction that there is no other Supreme Being but Almighty Nollop. None whatsoever. Praise Nollop. Nollop eternal.”

Related Characters: High Island Council (speaker), Mittie Purcy (speaker), Nevin Nollop, Rory Cummels
Page Number: 121-122
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

Alto I no tat Nollop isn’t trewlee going awae. Tee reason: I am not going awae. I will learn to tawg in noomerals. I will learn sign langwage—anee-ting to stae in Nollop.

[…]

Insitentallee, ewe are propaplee reating mie last letter to ewe. It is now simplee too tiring to write. To sae watt I most sae in langwage one mae onterstant.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Page Number: 187-188
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

No mo Nollop pomp!
No mo Nollop poo poo!
No mo 4 pop/1 moll Nollop looloo poop!
No no no mo plop, plop, plop, plomp!
No mo Nollop!
No, mon, no! O Noooooooo!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
— “LMNOP

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop
Page Number: 197
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

All the Council members save Lyttle have tendered their resignations. Immediately thereafter Harton Mangrove attempted suicide with his necktie. It was a clumsy attempt and quickly foiled. Following our excursion to the vault, Lyttle, Tom and I proceeded to the cenotaph, climbed to the top, and with sledgehammers in hand, initiated, in earnest, an act of destructive revisionism.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Rederick Lyttle, Tom, Harton Mangrove
Page Number: 205
Explanation and Analysis: