Previous
Solly
Rachel, wife to Solly, is an elderly Jewish immigrant to the U.S. from somewhere in Eastern Europe. She and Solly had a bookish son, Aaron, whom they adored, but Solly describes Aaron as “gone”—likely dead. Silent, timid, and grieving the loss of her son, Rachel tends to go where her loving and solicitous husband Solly leads her.
Rachel Quotes in Have You Seen Us?
The Have You Seen Us? quotes below are all either spoken by Rachel or refer to Rachel. 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:
).
Have You Seen Us? Quotes
Henry: (With simple sincerity) Thank you. Thank you very much. That was very beautiful . . . and leaves me amazed once again at the Almighty’s infinite capacity for mistakes: that voice in your body.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This quotation shows Henry and Adela at an ambiguous halfway point in their relationship, between enmity and friendship. After Henry has badgered and coaxed Adela to sing a song for him, Adela does. In the aftermath, Henry praises her performance as “very beautiful” with what the stage directions describe as “simple sincerity,” showing that he is softening toward her and becoming willing to show her respect. Yet, in the very same speech, he also calls “that voice in [Adela’s] body” a mistake on God’s part—yet another insult to Adela’s appearance that uses gendered beauty norms policing women’s thinness to humiliate 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 beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta
Henry: Two very lost old people from the look of things, don’t you think? I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t get a “missing persons” card in my mail next week with their pictures on it. “Have You Seen Us?” Oh yes! I have not only seen them, my dear Adela, what is amazing is I also happen to know them.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Elderly Jewish immigrant couple Solly and Rachel have entered the sandwich shop where Adela works, asked whether the shop sells chicken soup, and left upon learning that the answer is no. Afterward, Henry pronounces to Adela that the couple’s sudden appearance is “amazing” because he “happen[s] to know them.” Henry is referring to an incident on Christmas Eve several months prior, in which Henry casually wished Solly and Rachel a “happy Christmas” outside the sandwich shop and Solly gently informed Henry that he and his wife were Jewish. Here, Henry is an unreliable narrator: he claims to have seen Solly 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 beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi
Solly: (Wagging a loving finger at Henry): Just like Aaron! (Nudging Rachel and pointing at Henry) You see him. In the book again. Just like Aaron.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Solly and Rachel have returned to the sandwich shop after failing to find adequate food elsewhere. After they order turkey sandwiches and sit at a table, Solly notices Henry reading and says, “Just like Aaron!” Notably, the stage directions describe Solly as “wagging a loving finger at Henry” as Solly makes the comparison between Aaron and Henry. It is later revealed that Aaron was Solly and Rachel’s beloved son who is now “gone,” presumably dead. This brief interaction is important because it sets Solly up as a foil for Henry. Henry has just described prejudice as a “hatred and fear 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 beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi om
Henry: I hated you.
Solly: I know.
(Pause. They look unflinchingly into each other’s eyes.)
But why?
Henry: You were ugly . . . you were a Jew . . .
Solly: I still am.
(A pause. Henry is shaking his head in denial.)
Speak. I will listen.
Henry: (After a gesture of utter helplessness): I don’t know . . . now you are beautiful . . . I . . . love you.
Solly: Then God will also forgive you.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After Solly and Rachel—at Henry and Adela’s urging—perform a Hebrew song that they used to sing with their much-beloved (and likely dead) son Aaron, an emotionally overwhelmed Henry begs Solly’s forgiveness for his prior antisemitic reaction to Solly and his wife. Though Solly does immediately forgive Henry, he also asks Henry gentle questions about what he is forgiving Henry for. Henry’s explanation that Solly was “ugly” to him because of Solly’s Jewishness but suddenly became “beautiful,” implicitly due to the Hebrew song Solly and Rachel performed, suggests that the song humanized Solly for Henry. The song likely humanized Solly in 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 beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. U
Henry: It’s my one and only souvenir of Adela, and what happened to me that night. Remember it? “Have You Seen Us?”
It’s a good question. I like to believe I did.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In the play’s epilogue, which takes place about two years after the play’s main events, Henry directly addresses the audience, revealing that he never saw Adela, Solly, or Rachel again after the dramatic evening that constitutes the majority of the play’s action. Several weeks after that evening, he returned to the sandwich shop with a gift for Adela only to find that the shop had closed. As such, the “missing persons” mailing card that he and Adela discussed that night is now is “one and only souvenir of Adela.” Previously in the play, the “missing persons” mailing card symbolized Henry’s 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 beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earu
Henry: Good night and . . . happy holidays!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In Henry’s last words in the play before exiting the stage, he wishes the audience “good night” and “happy holidays.” When he wishes the audience “happy holidays,” it calls back to and contrasts with the inciting incident in the play. Henry wished Solly and Rachel a “happy Christmas,” forcing Solly to gently point out that he and Rachel were Jewish, a response that sent Henry into an unwilling antisemitic spiral. Whereas Henry’s previous “happy Christmas” salutation unthinkingly assumed that everyone is a Christian and thus betrayed his religious and cultural biases, Henry’s “happy holidays” goodbye to the audience shows that 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 corru
Get the entire Have You Seen Us? LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Rachel Character Timeline in Have You Seen Us?
The timeline below shows where the character Rachel appears in Have You Seen Us?. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Have You Seen Us?
...night, he was standing outside when an elderly couple (later revealed to be Solly and Rachel) walked past. One wished him a good night. When Henry, after a distracted pause, wished...
(full context)
Solly and Rachel, holding hands, enter the sandwich shop. They whisper, and then Solly walks up to the...
(full context)
...coffee to the counter for a refill, smiles humorlessly and tells Adela that Solly and Rachel are “amazing.” When a confused Adela asks what’s so amazing about an elderly couple, Henry...
(full context)
...tells Adela that when he saw the graffiti, he felt “recognition”—and that when Solly and Rachel corrected him after he wished them a good Christmas, “something” came to life inside him...
(full context)
Henry asks what Adela perceived when she looked at Solly and Rachel. Adela, confused, said she saw an elderly couple from somewhere other than the U.S. Henry...
(full context)
Adela, spotting Solly and Rachel, tells Henry to stop talking. Then she hurries to the chalkboard menu, which she checks...
(full context)
...sandwiches and turns on the radio. Henry pretends to read. Solly, after indicating Henry to Rachel, addresses Henry, telling him that he’s reading a “good book.” Henry says it’s “okay.” Solly...
(full context)
Solly quietly urges Rachel to eat her sandwich. When she refuses, he quietly sings her a song in Hebrew....
(full context)
...was beautiful, and Adela, eavesdropping, also asks Solly to sing. After a quiet conversation with Rachel, Solly gently beats out a rhythm on the table while both he and Rachel sing....
(full context)
...replies that in that case, God will also forgive Henry. After a moment, Solly and Rachel continue to eat while Henry stands and exits the shop.
(full context)
...In the background is the sandwich shop, with Adela at the counter and Solly and Rachel sitting at a table. Addressing the audience directly, Henry says that he didn’t know when...
(full context)
