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The Rose-Beetle Man
Alecko is a large and cantankerous black-backed gull whom Gerry acquires from the convict Kosti. Kosti found Alecko in Albania, and, as a prisoner, he struggles to feed him properly. Despite Gerry's admiration for the bird, nobody else in the family shares his positive feelings: Larry believes the bird is an albatross and therefore unlucky, while Alecko doesn't help matters by biting anyone who gets too close.
Alecko Quotes in My Family and Other Animals
The My Family and Other Animals quotes below are all either spoken by Alecko or refer to Alecko. 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:
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Part 3, Chapter 17 Quotes
Once the thing was explained, of course, it was simple. It never even occurred to me that the procedure was unusual. I knew one wasn't allowed home for weekends from an English prison, but this was Corfu, and in Corfu anything could happen.
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Part 3, Chapter 18 Quotes
"I assure you the house is a death-trap. Every conceivable nook and cranny is stuffed with malignant faunae waiting to pounce...A simple, innocuous action like lighting a cigarette is fraught with danger. Even the sanctity of my bedroom is not respected. First, I was attacked by a scorpion...Now we have snakes in the bath and huge flocks of albatrosses flapping around the house, making noises like defective plumbing."
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Alecko Character Timeline in My Family and Other Animals
The timeline below shows where the character Alecko appears in My Family and Other Animals. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 3, Chapter 17: The Chessboard Fields
...As Kosti tucks the bird under Gerry's arm, he says that the bird's name is Alecko. Before Gerry leaves, he asks why Kosti is in jail. Kosti answers that he killed...
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Though Alecko feels light at first, he soon becomes dead weight. Gerry rests under a fig tree...
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Gerry puts Alecko on the floor of the living room and is annoyed when Mother and Margo think...
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Dodo finally notices Alecko and curiously approaches him. It's sheer luck that she turns her head, as Alecko snaps...
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At dinner that night, Larry again insists that Alecko is an albatross, is bad luck, and will bring the family to ruin. Gerry explains...
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Part 3, Chapter 18: An Entertainment with Animals
...eat goldfish on occasion. He moves the reptiles into cans and cleans the Magenpies' and Alecko's cage while he tries to come up with a solution before guests arrive.
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Gerry puts the Magenpies in their cage and finds that Alecko took the opportunity to escape. Gerry searches for him but can't find him, so he...
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...bitten, but this only makes everyone get up, terrified. Kralefsky offers to help Gerry capture Alecko and seems relieved when Gerry turns down his offer. Finally, Gerry catches the gull as...
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