Jamison Character Analysis in Gathering Blue

The Council Guardian responsible for defending Kira in her suit with Vandara, Jamison appears to be a kind, respectful father figure giving Kira both safety and attention. As the novel progresses, though, it becomes clear to Kira that Jamison is a tyrannical, overbearing, violent man who only cares about Kira’s ability to weave the Singer’s robe and, by extension, help the Council to shift the outlook of the villagers in the way it desires. Eventually, it’s revealed that Jamison was the man who stabbed Christopher in the back.

Jamison Quotes in Gathering Blue

The Gathering Blue quotes below are all either spoken by Jamison or refer to Jamison. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Houghton Mifflin edition of Gathering Blue published in 2012.

Matt heard him and looked up toward Kira in dismay. "No. Me and Branch, we be going now," he said. Then with an expression of concern, he asked, "You don't be captive here, do you?" "No, she's not a captive," Jamison reassured Matt. "Why would you think that?

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 70

Explanation and Analysis:

"This is the entire story of our world. We must keep it intact. More than intact."
She saw that his hand had moved and was stroking the wide unadorned section of fabric, the section of the cloth that fell across the Singer's shoulders.
"The future will be told here," he said. "Our world depends upon the telling.”

Related Characters: (speaker),

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 82

Explanation and Analysis:

Jamison Character Timeline in Gathering Blue

The timeline below shows where the character Jamison appears in Gathering Blue. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...let one of the guardians defend her, and the chief guardian appoints a guardian named Jamison. (full context)

Jamison is unfamiliar to Kira, but this is because women and men barely associate past the... (full context)

Jamison says that he’ll address Vandara accusations one at a time, and looks through his papers.... (full context)

Self-Interest versus Compassion Theme Icon

Jamison continues to work through Vandara’s accusations. He concedes that Kira is lame, but points out... (full context)

Inside the Council Edifice, Jamison proceeds with his defense. Vandara has accused Kira of being kept against the rules because... (full context)

Kira stops daydreaming and realizes that Jamison is going down the list of accusations against her. She can tell that there has... (full context)

...robe. Kira is more familiar with the robe, because her mother made repairs on it. Jamison asks Kira about her abilities as a weaver, and notes that Kira’s skills are said... (full context)

In the large room of the Council Edifice, Jamison is waiting for Kira. As she sees him waiting, she feels slightly irritated, since she... (full context)

Once the guards have brought Matt and his dog to Kira, Jamison leads the three of them through the corridor of the Edifice to Kira’s new quarters.... (full context)

Jamison shows Kira a bathtub with running water. He offers Matt the chance to bathe, but... (full context)

Jamison enters Kira’s quarters after Kira and Thomas eat lunch together. He asks Kira if she’s... (full context)

Jamison shows Kira the supplies she’ll use to complete the robe: needles, threads, scissors, etc. Kira... (full context)

A few days after visiting her mother’s cott, Kira asks Jamison for a few things: a garden, an area for fire, pots for dyeing, and a... (full context)

...Kira wakes up, conscious that something—she’s not sure what—has changed. It’s raining that day. Lately, Jamison has been inspecting her work twice a day, and seems very pleased with it. Two... (full context)

As Kira thinks about her conversation with Jamison, it occurs to her that she can talk to him about the beasts. It also... (full context)

...only sounds are the tap of Kira’s walking stick and her lame leg. Kira hears Jamison’s voice around the corner. Even though Jamison has been her defender in court, and in... (full context)

Kira hears a child’s cry, following by Jamison’s voice. Then, she hears a child singing, in a high, clear voice. Then the child... (full context)

Later in the day, Jamison comes to Kira’s room. By this time, Thomas has returned to work and Matt has... (full context)

Kira continues to question Jamison about beasts, asking him if he’s seen the beasts himself. Jamison tells her that he’s... (full context)

The morning after her conversation with Jamison, Kira wakes up groggy and prepares for her daily walk to Annabella’s cottage. Before she... (full context)

...saw Annabella only two days previously. She decides to go to the Edifice and ask Jamison about Annabella. She tells Matt to wake up Thomas, and mentions that Jamison wears one... (full context)

Inside the Edifice, Kira asks a guard where Jamison is, and he tells her shortly that he’s probably in Kira’s wing of the building,... (full context)

Kira locates the door where she heard Jamison talking to Jo, and finds that it’s locked. She quietly calls Jo’s name. To her... (full context)

Back in her quarters, Kira finds Jamison waiting for her. He tells her, sadly, that Annabella has died. Kira, who’s suddenly uneasy... (full context)

Kira thinks about her conversation with Jamison yesterday. Jamison told her that Annabella had died peacefully in her sleep; she may have... (full context)

In the days leading up to the Gathering, Kira completes the robe. Jamison visits her and inspects the robe, and says she’s done an excellent job. He’s particularly... (full context)

Jamison looks at another section of the robe, and recites the portion of the Ruin Song... (full context)

...brave. She sees the Council of Guardians sitting in a row of chairs, and recognizes Jamison among them. She also notices three empty chairs on the other side of the hall;... (full context)

...that Vandara killed the tyke, but there was no proof. Kira responds that her friend, Jamison, will help Christopher. But when Christopher hears this name, he touched his scarred face. Jamison,... (full context)