Future Home of the Living God

by

Louise Erdrich

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Future Home of the Living God makes teaching easy.
Mary Potts Almost Senior’s daughter and Cedar’s younger sister. Although Mary Potts believes that her daughter doesn’t use drugs, as she herself used to, Little Mary’s drug use is clear to Cedar and to the reader. Little Mary self-describes her style as “Gothlolita”—a mix between a tough, Halloween-esque, punk look and an infantilizing, sexualized aesthetic (Cedar picks up the reference to the novel Lolita, though Little Mary hasn’t heard of the book and only found the term “Gothlolita” on the internet). Little Mary’s personality is similarly divided between the scary and the sweet. Initially, she is incredibly hostile towards Cedar when they meet, and clearly feels threatened by the arrival of an older sister she has never met. However, later in the story when she asks for Cedar’s assistance in cleaning her filthy room, she reveals her vulnerability and her need for positive adult influences in her life. The story draws to a close with the two sisters wrapped in an embrace, both girls beginning to navigate the new and potentially scary territory of welcoming new family members into their lives.

Little Mary Quotes in Future Home of the Living God

The Future Home of the Living God quotes below are all either spoken by Little Mary or refer to Little Mary. 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:
Isolation vs. Interconnectedness with Family Theme Icon
).
Future Home of the Living God Quotes

“Just looking at Little Mary I can tell what a good mother you would be.”

Related Characters: Cedar Hawk Songmaker (speaker), Mary Potts Almost Senior (“Sweetie”), Little Mary
Page Number: 474
Explanation and Analysis:

I look down. At my feet there is a box of black Hefty steel sacks, no doubt placed there by Sweetie as a subtle hint. I bend over, put my pack and computer where I hope I’ll find them again, and pull the first plastic bag from the box.

Related Characters: Cedar Hawk Songmaker (speaker), Mary Potts Almost Senior (“Sweetie”), Little Mary
Related Symbols: Little Mary’s Messy Room
Page Number: 479
Explanation and Analysis:

I have accidentally tampered with and entered some huge place. I do not know what giant lives in this fast and future home.

Related Characters: Cedar Hawk Songmaker (speaker), Little Mary
Page Number: 481
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Future Home of the Living God LitChart as a printable PDF.
Future Home of the Living God PDF

Little Mary Quotes in Future Home of the Living God

The Future Home of the Living God quotes below are all either spoken by Little Mary or refer to Little Mary. 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:
Isolation vs. Interconnectedness with Family Theme Icon
).
Future Home of the Living God Quotes

“Just looking at Little Mary I can tell what a good mother you would be.”

Related Characters: Cedar Hawk Songmaker (speaker), Mary Potts Almost Senior (“Sweetie”), Little Mary
Page Number: 474
Explanation and Analysis:

I look down. At my feet there is a box of black Hefty steel sacks, no doubt placed there by Sweetie as a subtle hint. I bend over, put my pack and computer where I hope I’ll find them again, and pull the first plastic bag from the box.

Related Characters: Cedar Hawk Songmaker (speaker), Mary Potts Almost Senior (“Sweetie”), Little Mary
Related Symbols: Little Mary’s Messy Room
Page Number: 479
Explanation and Analysis:

I have accidentally tampered with and entered some huge place. I do not know what giant lives in this fast and future home.

Related Characters: Cedar Hawk Songmaker (speaker), Little Mary
Page Number: 481
Explanation and Analysis: