As a child, Stevenson is especially close with his grandmother, who powerfully influenced his views toward the world and people. In particular, his grandmother is the source of the important advice that, in order to understand something, “you have to get close” to it. She was the daughter of slaves from Virginia, and she is described as being very cautious, loving and affectionate.
Stevenson’s grandmother Quotes in Just Mercy
The Just Mercy quotes below are all either spoken by Stevenson’s grandmother or refer to Stevenson’s grandmother. 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 Spiegel & Grau edition of Just Mercy published in 2015.
Introduction
Quotes
You can’t understand most of the important things from a distance, Bryan. You have to get close.
Related Characters:
Stevenson’s grandmother (speaker), Bryan Stevenson
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Just Mercy LitChart as a printable PDF.
Stevenson’s grandmother Character Timeline in Just Mercy
The timeline below shows where the character Stevenson’s grandmother appears in Just Mercy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Introduction: Higher Ground
...symbols and ideology. His parents both worked in low-paying jobs and they always struggled financially. Stevenson's grandmother was the daughter of slaves in Virginia, and she learned their sense of fear and...
(full context)