Ella Minnow Pea
by Mark Dunn
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Ella’s cousin and Mittie’s daughter. Ella, who’s from the main city of Nollopton, exchanges letters with Tassie, who lives in the more rural area of Nollopville. When the High Island Council begins banning the use of letters that fall from Nevin Nollop’s commemorative statue, Tassie (unlike Ella) immediately recognizes the danger of the Council’s statutes—she predicts the destruction of all of the books and many of the cultural staples in Nollop. Tassie sees through the hypocrisy of the Council: the Council members are claiming to follow Nollop’s wishes, yet Nollopians have always been very proud of their language and Nollop would not have wanted to see it curtailed in any way. Tassie becomes one of the first people to dedicate herself to the resistance effort. She and Mittie host an American scholar named Nate Warren in the hopes that he can help change the Council’s mind about their interpretation of the tiles, and she quickly develops a romantic relationship with him. She and Nate then travel to Nollopton to present Councilman Rederick Lyttle and the rest of the Council with a scientific reason as to why the tiles are falling. Following this meeting, in which the Council refuses to accept their evidence, Tassie contributes diligently to Enterprise Thirty-two, a collaborative project that aims to dismantle the Council’s view of Nollop as a deity by coming up with a pangram shorter than Nollop’s legendary 35-letter sentence. Tassie also begins sending the Council anonymous threats, which leads to her arrest and imprisonment on the island despite the fact that she hasn’t used a banned letter once. Nate ends up rescuing Tassie and the two escape to the United States, leaving only Ella to carry on Enterprise Thirty-two.

Tassie Purcy Quotes in Ella Minnow Pea

The Ella Minnow Pea quotes below are all either spoken by Tassie Purcy or refer to Tassie Purcy. 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

I have, in scanning the text of my epistle to you thus far, discovered only three merest of uses: in the words “gaze,” “immortalized,” and “snooze.” Would you have lost my meaning should I have chosen to make the substitutions, “looked,” “posteritified,” and “sleep”?

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), High Island Council, Tassie Purcy
Page Number and Citation: 7
Explanation and Analysis:
In Ella’s first letter to her cousin Tassie, she writes about the Council’s determination to excise “Z” from the Nollopians’ vocabulary and the increasingly harsh punishments that will be meted out to the citizens who use the illegal letter. Ella realizes that she hasn’t used many instances of the letter “Z” in her correspondence, a fact she uses to justify the initial fealty that she displays for the Council. Yet this willingness to comply with the statutes ultimately proves to be a mistake: even though “Z” seems at the outset to be an uncommon and therefore relatively unimportant letter, it 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 volupt

The books have all disappeared. You were right about the books.

We will have to write new ones now. But what will we say? Without the whizz that waz.

For we cannot even write of its history. Because to write of it, is to write it. And as of midnight, it becomes ineffable.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), Tassie Purcy, High Island Council
Page Number and Citation: 14
Explanation and Analysis:
Just before the High Island Council bans the use of the letter “Z” on the island of Nollop, Ella relays to her cousin Tassie that, as Tassie predicted, all the books containing “Z” (which is to say, all of the books on the island) have been banned. This is the first significant example Dunn provides of how freedom of speech serves as the foundation for a free and functioning society: without that freedom of speech, even when only a single letter is limited, integral parts of culture and society—like literature—begin to disappear. The banned books represent not only culture, but 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.

Chapter 2 Quotes

Today The Tribune published the names of fifty-eight of the sixty men, women, and children charged this week with first offense. (Two names were unpublishable due to the presence of a particular letter within.) All were speakers of banned words—words overheard upon the lanes, in schoolyards and church pews, and on the common greens. Neighbor turning in neighbor, perpetuating old grudges and grievances with this new weapon unleashed upon us by the High Island Council.

Related Characters: Ella Minnow Pea (speaker), Tassie Purcy, Mittie Purcy, Georgeanne Towgate, High Island Council, Law Enforcement Brigade (L.E.B.)
Page Number and Citation: 21
Explanation and Analysis:
After the High Island Council bans the use of the letter “Z,” Ella notes how citizens quickly rack up offenses for illegally using the letter. But they are not only being policed by the L.E.B., the island’s law enforcement— instead, they are being policed and betrayed by neighbors and fellow Nollopians. With this, Dunn explores how totalitarian states enable people to betray one another as the laws play on the fears and anxieties of citizens. Although the Council is the one mandating the statutes banning various letters and the L.E.B. enforces these laws, fellow citizens pose the greatest threat 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

While we still receive the weak signal of the limited island radio broadcasts, music is almost all that is sent up to us these days. Music without words. The station management, I assume, does not wish to examine song lyrics for words containing the outlawed letter. Besides making us all fearful, this edict has turned some among us into shameful indolents.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy (speaker), High Island Council
Page Number and Citation: 27-28
Explanation and Analysis:
Nollop’s High Island Council bans the written or spoken use of the letter “Z,” which means that all of the island’s books are removed. Additionally, once the statute goes into effect, music is largely taken away as well because—as Tassie notes, the station manager does not want to scan lyrics for the letter “Z” and so only music without lyrics is played on the radio. Thus, another bastion of Nollopian culture disappears. Freedom of speech, therefore, is essential to many other kinds of freedom of expression and the cultural wellbeing of any society, because so many ways in which people 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.

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), High Island Council, Ella Minnow Pea, Nate Warren, Nevin Nollop
Related Symbols: Glue
Page Number and Citation: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
A young American man named Nate Warren becomes interested in the oppression overtaking Nollop, as the High Island Council begins banning the use of letters that fall from Nevin Nollop’s commemorative statue because they believe the fallen tiles are a sign Nollop is sending from beyond the grave. Nate sends the glue from the tiles to be examined by chemists and then he stays with Tassie so he can present his findings to the Council in hopes that they’ll realize the glue is simply dissolving and therefore abandon their notion that Nollop is some kind of deity figure. But the 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 nesci

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 and Citation: 55
Explanation and Analysis:
Once the letters “Z,” “Q,” and “J” have fallen from Nevin Nollop’s commemorative statue, the High Island Council sends out an order clarifying why they are putting forth their statutes to ban citizens from speaking or writing words that contain the fallen letters. The language that they use in these 10 declarations is notably religious bent—particularly their declaration of “heresy”—which emphasizes how the Council’s adoration of Nollop is taking on the scale of a deity, which is in turn fueling their certainty and their justification for the oppression that they are forcing on the citizens. Their harsh declarations make it 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 i

Chapter 4 Quotes

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, Nevin Nollop, High Island Council
Page Number and Citation: 69
Explanation and Analysis:
After the letter “D” fall from Nevin Nollop’s statue, Ella writes to Tassie about one of the consequences of losing this letter. Without the suffix “-ed,” it becomes exceptionally difficult to express past tense. Like losing the history recorded in books that were banned after the first letter fell, this is another way in which Nollopians can no longer discuss what has happened to them in the past—in essence, the Council is eradicating the Nollopians’ history while also threatening the society’s future. This point also counters an earlier point that Ella made in declaring that certain nouns and verbs could 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 acc

Chapter 5 Quotes

But we were lucky in that when such a misspeak took place, there were no ears pressing themselves against the portals or fenesters to overhear.

Related Characters: Tassie Purcy (speaker), Georgeanne Towgate, Nate Warren, Ella Minnow Pea
Page Number and Citation: 74
Explanation and Analysis:
In a letter to Ella, Tassie explains that she and Nate had a wine-filled evening in which she and Nate both misspoke an illegal letter. However, she writes that thankfully no one was listening. This is a reminder of how betrayal has become the norm among neighbors in Nollop, to the point where citizens are actively going after others to try and report their missteps—perhaps out of an eat-or-be-eaten mentality. Yet ultimately this backfires on certain citizens of Nollop, like Georgeanne, who recognize that the isolation they experience as the result of their betrayal ultimately becomes their own undoing. Instead, 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 ea

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), Mittie Purcy, High Island Council, Nevin Nollop, Nate Warren
Page Number and Citation: 99
Explanation and Analysis:
When Nate meets with the High Island Council, they agree to his challenge: if someone can come up with a 32-letter pangram (three letters shorter than Nevin Nollop’s legendary 35-letter one) in six weeks, they will accept that anyone can reach Nollop’s supremacy and they will rescind their statutes banning the use of certain letters. Subsequently, as Tassie describes to Mittie, the citizens of Nollop are immediately buoyed by this challenge (dubbed Enterprise Thirty-Two), for two reasons: first, it provides an opportunity for a kind of widespread resistance that they had previously lacked in combatting the totalitarian Council, and 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

Chapter 9 Quotes

I value, nonetheless, your going to the learny-house to help my son. Little Timmy values it as well.

He is gone now. Timmy. This morning. With Nash, my spouse. I must remain. I must remain, as I am without violation.

Please exonerate me. In your heart. I am so sorry that I was the one to report your violations. I’m so sorry that I was to learn what is truly important in our lives too, too late.

Related Characters: Georgeanne Towgate (speaker), Mittie Purcy, Tassie Purcy, Timmy Towgate, Nash Towgate, High Island Council
Page Number and Citation: 139
Explanation and Analysis:
Mittie tries to help Georgeanne prove that Timmy is still seven and therefore he is not subject to the Council’s statutes banning the use of different letters, since children under eight are exempt. Mittie’s efforts ultimately fail and Timmy is exiled for violating the ban, and yet Georgeanne sends this note of thanks and an apology to Mittie for reporting her violations. It is here that Georgeanne reaches a turning point, as do many of Nollop’s citizens. Prior to this, fear, mistrust, and betrayal were pervasive in the society as citizens reported each other to the government for fear of 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 beat
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Tassie Purcy Character Timeline in Ella Minnow Pea

The timeline below shows where the character Tassie Purcy appears in Ella Minnow Pea. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
...woman living in Nollopton on the island of Nollop, writes a letter to her cousin Tassie, who lives in the more rural town of Nollopville. Ella explains that a few days... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
...will make them more deliberate in their choices of language. She closes her letter to Tassie by explaining that the edict will go into effect in two weeks’ time, and that... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Tassie replies to Ella, explaining that edicts like this only make the island more medieval. She... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Tassie is outraged at the fact that no one is protesting the edict, deeply worried that... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Tassie closes her letter by noting that she, like Ella, only used the letter “Z” in... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
On the night before the “Z” ban goes into effect, Ella writes Tassie a few minutes before midnight. She instructs Tassie to burn it as soon as she... (full context)
Chapter 2
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
The day after the “Z” ban goes into effect, Tassie writes to Ella. She says that the library has been shut down and that her... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Tassie wonders if eventually the words they have lost will completely fade from their memory, as... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
...obeying laws written by madmen,” and after gaining two offenses, he chose to be whipped. Tassie writes that she commends Willy’s disdain for the High Island Council but she does not... (full context)
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Ella returns Tassie’s letter, writing that 60 people were charged with a first offense in the first week... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Ella tells Tassie how, the day before, she, her mother Gwenette, and her father Amos took a walk... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Two days later, Tassie writes to Ella, informing her that Willy has been banished. After he was flogged, he... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
The next day, Ella writes to Tassie asking how the meeting went. She is frustrated that they can’t speak on the phone,... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
The next day, Tassie returns Ella’s letter, saying that she’d heard about “Q.” She tells Ella that at the... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Tassie worries that the fallen “Q” will make the Council feel more justified in their earlier... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Ella’s next letter informs Tassie that in a week, “Q” will be banned from the Nollopians’ vocabulary just as “Z”... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Tassie returns Ella’s letter, saying that she hopes to visit soon. She confesses that the previous... (full context)
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Tassie also writes that Mittie received a first offense for speaking the letter in her math... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Gwenette writes back to Tassie, noting that Mittie has to be very careful about what she says in front of... (full context)
Chapter 3
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
The letter “Q” is now banned. Tassie writes to Georgeanne and Nash Towgate, the parents of Timmy, asking why they reported Mittie... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Nash Towgate responds to Tassie, arguing that they believe that Nollop is demonstrating his will, that they did their “civic... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
...twenty-four which remaaaain.” She says that she hasn’t been feeling like herself lately and that Tassie worries about her, although she shouldn’t. (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
...asks if he can pose as a friend of the family, particularly because Mittie and Tassie have remained in Council favor. He writes that he understands if they have reservations but... (full context)
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Mittie discusses Nate’s letter with Tassie and she writes back that they would like to welcome Nate to their home if... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Ella writes back to Tassie, glad to hear of the development with Nate. Ella then tells her of another incident... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Ella tells Tassie that she, Amos, and Gwenette plan to hold a secret meeting to begin a “nascent... (full context)
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Two days later, Tassie writes to Ella about Nate’s findings on the glue, explaining that his analyses “prove beyond... (full context)
Chapter 4
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
...he does not want to violate the island’s statutes in his writings. That same day, Tassie leaves a note for Mittie on their fridge saying that she worries about her mother,... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Ella sends a letter to Tassie, writing that her family’s first underground meeting was a success, as many people attended—so many... (full context)
Chapter 5
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
“D” is now banned. Tassie writes to Ella four days later (on “Toes”), informing her of Nate’s arrival. She tells... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Tassie tells Ella that she has had quite a bit of wine, and that as the... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Tassie writes to Ella the next day, saying that she woke up screaming from a nightmare... (full context)
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Ella responds to Tassie the next day, informing her that one of the “O”s has fallen from the statue... (full context)
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
...But they demand that people use the letter 25 percent less. She also writes that Tassie has safely arrived, but that Amos has gotten a second offense. He slipped up at... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
The same day, Tassie writes to Mittie that she has arrived and that Nate is preparing for his meeting... (full context)
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Mittie responds to Tassie, saying that she recently had coffee with Rory Cummels and she was impressed by his... (full context)
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Tassie responds to Mittie, saying that she is very happy that Mittie is enjoying Rory’s company.... (full context)
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
...(Nollop’s “birth anniversary”), which is in six weeks’ time, then the statutes would be lifted. Tassie closes her letter on this hopeful note and she reminds Mittie to throw out the... (full context)
Chapter 6
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
The letter “K” is now banned. Tassie writes to Mittie that the citizens are very excited by the challenge of coming up... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Tassie relates another decree of the Council: that any property that has been vacated by those... (full context)
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Two days later, Nate writes a love letter to Tassie as he watches her working on the pangram challenge. Rory also writes to Mittie, saying... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
The next day, Tassie tells Mittie that “F” and another “O” fell the previous night. “F” will be excised... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
Tassie also reveals how Council members laugh at their efforts, watching children running around to write... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Nate writes to Tassie from the Office of Corrections at Town Center. He says he suspects that the Council... (full context)
Chapter 7
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
That day, Mittie writes to Tassie, saying that she has received a second offense. She was buying shrimp on the pier... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Ella responds to Mittie for Tassie (who is still heartbroken over Nate’s banishment), informing Mittie that Enterprise Thirty-two has hit a... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Tassie writes to Nate, saying that they have hit a wall at 47 letters and that... (full context)
Chapter 8
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
The letter “B” is banned on “Topsy Turvy, Octavia 19.” Tassie writes again to Nate, telling him that Professor Mannheim has come up with a 44-letter... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Tassie explains to Nate that most of the people in Nollopville are coming to Nollopton or... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Gwenette writes to Mittie with horrible news, saying that the Council has Tassie in custody and that she is awaiting trial as a suspect in the anonymous threats... (full context)
Chapter 9
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Mittie writes to Tassie, informing her that she has been waiting all “postnoon” to see Tassie at the prison,... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
The following day, Gwenette writes to Ella explaining that while Ella was trying to visit Tassie, the L.E.B. was sent to interrogate Gwenette, and she grew nervous and spoke an illegal... (full context)
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
Tassie writes to Ella from prison, saying that she and Mittie must stop waiting to see... (full context)
Chapter 10
Blind Faith, Reason, and Logic Theme Icon
...the prison, writes to Ella, saying that he let a young Southern man (Nate) take Tassie away along with Mittie. He says that he was whipped for it but that he... (full context)
Chapter 11
Betrayal vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
...responds to Georgeanne, saying that Mittie is now in the United States with “her she-heir Tassie.” She asks Georgeanne to eat with her that evening. Ella also sends word to Tom,... (full context)
Chapter 17
Totalitarianism, Complacency, and Resistance Theme Icon
Freedom of Speech Theme Icon
...Ella and Tom for tea with him. Ella then writes to Gwenette, Amos, Mittie, and Tassie, explaining what has happened. She tells them that the Council members declared the pangram a... (full context)