Everything, Everything

Everything, Everything

by

Nicola Yoon

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

Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier Character Analysis

Maddy’s mom, a third-generation Japanese doctor and a single mother. Mom and Maddy have an extremely close relationship, as Mom has dedicated her entire life to caring for Maddy. After losing Maddy’s dad and brother in a traffic accident when Maddy was five months old, Mom struggled to cope and ended up creating a fake diagnosis of SCID for baby Maddy. She used the settlement money from the accident to create an environment that would be safe for Maddy and hired Carla to care for her. For much of the novel, Maddy takes this as proof that Mom cares deeply for her and genuinely wants her to be healthy and safe. This begins to change when Maddy begins seeing Olly and Mom finds out about it. To Mom, Olly represents all manner of dangers for her daughter—in addition to possibly introducing germs into their sterile home, a relationship with Olly also opens Maddy up to heartbreak like Mom experienced when she lost her husband. Because of this, Mom cracks down on Maddy in an effort to protect her and discourage her from keeping secrets. This backfires, however, when Maddy goes to Hawaii without telling Mom. Mom takes Maddy’s actions as a personal affront and accuses Maddy of trying to hurt her personally, which suggests that Mom doesn’t see Maddy’s burgeoning independence as something normal and expected. Later, when Maddy discovers that Mom fabricated her SCID diagnosis, it comes to light that Mom is mentally ill and never recovered after losing her husband and son. She faked Maddy’s diagnosis so she could care for her and keep her safe from everything that might hurt her emotionally or physically. Mom begins to seek counseling after Maddy discovers the lie and still seems unwell by the end of the novel. However, she does behave in ways that suggest she may be able to come to terms with Maddy’s newfound independence, such as buying Maddy a phone and not trying to stop her from leaving for New York City.

Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier Quotes in Everything, Everything

The Everything, Everything quotes below are all either spoken by Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier or refer to Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier. 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:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
3. Brthdae Uish Quotes

This year is a little harder than the previous. Maybe it’s because I’m eighteen now. Technically, I’m an adult. I should be leaving home, going off to college. My mom should be dreading empty-nest syndrome. But because of SCID, I’m not going anywhere.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 10
Explanation and Analysis:
28. Mirror, Mirror Quotes

I wish again that I could talk to my mom about this. I want to ask her why I get breathless when I think of him. I want to share my giddiness with her. I want to tell her all the funny things Olly says. I want to tell her how I can’t make myself stop thinking about him even though I try. I want to ask her if this is the way she felt about Dad at the beginning.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Maddy’s Dad
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
30. Madeline’s Dictionary; Secrets Quotes

It feels strange not to talk to my mom about something, someone, who’s becoming so important to me. My mom and I are drifting apart, but not because we’re spending less time together. And not because Olly’s replacing her. We’re drifting apart because for the first time in my life, I have a secret to keep.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:
34. A Tale of Two Maddys; Freedom Card Quotes

Before, I was worried about keeping secrets from her. Now, I’m worried about not being able to have any secrets at all. I know she’s not upset that I bought new clothes. She’s upset that I didn’t ask her opinion and bought them in colors that she didn’t expect. She’s upset with the change she didn’t see coming. I resent and understand it at the same time.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Related Symbols: The Color White, Colors (Pink, Yellow, Orange)
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:
44. Schedule Change; More Than This Quotes

“Can I have my Internet privileges back?” I have to try.

She shakes her head. “Ask me for something else, honey.”

“Please, Mom.”

“It’s better this way. I don’t want you to have a broken heart.”

“Love can’t kill me,” I say, parroting Carla’s words.

“That’s not true,” she says. “Whoever told you that?”

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Olly, Carla
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
57. Infected Quotes

“Of course I regret it. A lot of bad things happened on that trip. And when my mother and father died, I couldn’t go back for the funerals. Rosa doesn’t know anything about where she’s from.” She sighs. “You’re not living if you’re not regretting.”

What am I going to regret? My mind cycles through visions: my mom alone in my white room wondering where everyone she’s ever loved went. My mom alone in a green field staring down at my grave and my dad’s grave and my brother’s grave. My mom dying all alone in that house.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Carla (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Rosa, Maddy’s Dad, Maddy’s Brother
Related Symbols: The Color White, Colors (Pink, Yellow, Orange)
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
62. Remembrance of Things Present Quotes

By eighteen years old, other teenagers have separated from their parents. They leave home, have separate lives, make separate memories. But not me. My mom and I have shared the same closed space and breathed the same filtered air for so long that it’s strange being here without her. It’s strange making memories that don’t include her.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 203
Explanation and Analysis:
65. Zach Quotes

“Maybe growing up means disappointing the people we love.”

Related Characters: Zach (speaker), Madeline “Maddy” Whittier, Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 218
Explanation and Analysis:
72. Readmitted Quotes

“How could you do this to yourself? You could’ve died,” she whispers.

She steps closer, hugs a clipboard to her chest. “How could you do this to me? After everything?”

Related Characters: Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Madeline “Maddy” Whittier
Page Number: 242
Explanation and Analysis:
77. Reunion Quotes

I wish I could undo the last few months of knowing him. I would stay in my room. I would hear the truck beeping next door and I would remain on my white couch in my white room reading my brand-new books. I would remember my past and then I would remember not to repeat it.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Related Symbols: The Color White
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
78. Neighborhood Watch #3; Five Syllables; His Last Letter is Haiku Quotes

He’s not sure which conversation with his mom finally convinced her. It could’ve been because he told her he couldn’t be part of the family anymore if she stayed. Sometimes you have to leave the people who love you the most, he said. Or, he says, it could’ve been when he finally told her about me and about how sick I am and how I was willing to do anything just to live. He says that she thinks I’m brave.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Olly’s Dad, Zach, Olly’s Mom
Page Number: 259
Explanation and Analysis:
80. Protection Quotes

“Mom, it’s OK,” I say. “I didn’t really believe it anyway.”

I don’t think she hears me. “I had to protect you,” she says.

“I know, Mom.” I don’t really want to talk about this anymore. I move back into her arms.

“I had to protect you,” she says into my hair.

And it’s that last “I had to protect you” that makes a part of me go quiet.

[...]

I try to pull away, to see her face, but she holds on tight.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Dr. Melissa Francis
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
84. Fairy Tales; The Void; Beginnings and Ends Quotes

“Because of the circumstances of your upbringing, we’re not sure about the state of your immune system.”

“What does that mean?”

“We think it’s possible that it’s underdeveloped, like an infant’s.”

“An infant?”

“Your immune system hasn’t been exposed to a lifetime of common viruses and bacterial infections. It hasn’t had time to get experience with fighting these infections. It hasn’t had time to get strong.”

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Dr. Chase (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 283
Explanation and Analysis:
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Everything, Everything PDF

Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier Quotes in Everything, Everything

The Everything, Everything quotes below are all either spoken by Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier or refer to Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier. 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:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
3. Brthdae Uish Quotes

This year is a little harder than the previous. Maybe it’s because I’m eighteen now. Technically, I’m an adult. I should be leaving home, going off to college. My mom should be dreading empty-nest syndrome. But because of SCID, I’m not going anywhere.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 10
Explanation and Analysis:
28. Mirror, Mirror Quotes

I wish again that I could talk to my mom about this. I want to ask her why I get breathless when I think of him. I want to share my giddiness with her. I want to tell her all the funny things Olly says. I want to tell her how I can’t make myself stop thinking about him even though I try. I want to ask her if this is the way she felt about Dad at the beginning.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Maddy’s Dad
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
30. Madeline’s Dictionary; Secrets Quotes

It feels strange not to talk to my mom about something, someone, who’s becoming so important to me. My mom and I are drifting apart, but not because we’re spending less time together. And not because Olly’s replacing her. We’re drifting apart because for the first time in my life, I have a secret to keep.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:
34. A Tale of Two Maddys; Freedom Card Quotes

Before, I was worried about keeping secrets from her. Now, I’m worried about not being able to have any secrets at all. I know she’s not upset that I bought new clothes. She’s upset that I didn’t ask her opinion and bought them in colors that she didn’t expect. She’s upset with the change she didn’t see coming. I resent and understand it at the same time.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Related Symbols: The Color White, Colors (Pink, Yellow, Orange)
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:
44. Schedule Change; More Than This Quotes

“Can I have my Internet privileges back?” I have to try.

She shakes her head. “Ask me for something else, honey.”

“Please, Mom.”

“It’s better this way. I don’t want you to have a broken heart.”

“Love can’t kill me,” I say, parroting Carla’s words.

“That’s not true,” she says. “Whoever told you that?”

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Olly, Carla
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
57. Infected Quotes

“Of course I regret it. A lot of bad things happened on that trip. And when my mother and father died, I couldn’t go back for the funerals. Rosa doesn’t know anything about where she’s from.” She sighs. “You’re not living if you’re not regretting.”

What am I going to regret? My mind cycles through visions: my mom alone in my white room wondering where everyone she’s ever loved went. My mom alone in a green field staring down at my grave and my dad’s grave and my brother’s grave. My mom dying all alone in that house.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Carla (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Rosa, Maddy’s Dad, Maddy’s Brother
Related Symbols: The Color White, Colors (Pink, Yellow, Orange)
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
62. Remembrance of Things Present Quotes

By eighteen years old, other teenagers have separated from their parents. They leave home, have separate lives, make separate memories. But not me. My mom and I have shared the same closed space and breathed the same filtered air for so long that it’s strange being here without her. It’s strange making memories that don’t include her.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 203
Explanation and Analysis:
65. Zach Quotes

“Maybe growing up means disappointing the people we love.”

Related Characters: Zach (speaker), Madeline “Maddy” Whittier, Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 218
Explanation and Analysis:
72. Readmitted Quotes

“How could you do this to yourself? You could’ve died,” she whispers.

She steps closer, hugs a clipboard to her chest. “How could you do this to me? After everything?”

Related Characters: Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Madeline “Maddy” Whittier
Page Number: 242
Explanation and Analysis:
77. Reunion Quotes

I wish I could undo the last few months of knowing him. I would stay in my room. I would hear the truck beeping next door and I would remain on my white couch in my white room reading my brand-new books. I would remember my past and then I would remember not to repeat it.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Related Symbols: The Color White
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
78. Neighborhood Watch #3; Five Syllables; His Last Letter is Haiku Quotes

He’s not sure which conversation with his mom finally convinced her. It could’ve been because he told her he couldn’t be part of the family anymore if she stayed. Sometimes you have to leave the people who love you the most, he said. Or, he says, it could’ve been when he finally told her about me and about how sick I am and how I was willing to do anything just to live. He says that she thinks I’m brave.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Olly, Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier, Olly’s Dad, Zach, Olly’s Mom
Page Number: 259
Explanation and Analysis:
80. Protection Quotes

“Mom, it’s OK,” I say. “I didn’t really believe it anyway.”

I don’t think she hears me. “I had to protect you,” she says.

“I know, Mom.” I don’t really want to talk about this anymore. I move back into her arms.

“I had to protect you,” she says into my hair.

And it’s that last “I had to protect you” that makes a part of me go quiet.

[...]

I try to pull away, to see her face, but she holds on tight.

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier (speaker), Dr. Melissa Francis
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
84. Fairy Tales; The Void; Beginnings and Ends Quotes

“Because of the circumstances of your upbringing, we’re not sure about the state of your immune system.”

“What does that mean?”

“We think it’s possible that it’s underdeveloped, like an infant’s.”

“An infant?”

“Your immune system hasn’t been exposed to a lifetime of common viruses and bacterial infections. It hasn’t had time to get experience with fighting these infections. It hasn’t had time to get strong.”

Related Characters: Madeline “Maddy” Whittier (speaker), Dr. Chase (speaker), Mom/Dr. Pauline Whittier
Page Number: 283
Explanation and Analysis: