Running in the Family

Running in the Family

by

Michael Ondaatje

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Running in the Family makes teaching easy.
Aunt Phyllis is Ondaatje’s aunt, whom he visits with Gillian. Aunt Phyllis was close to Mervyn’s and spends days sharing memories and family history with Ondaatje. She often tells a story, moves to another, and then an hour later revisits the first to tell it differently or make a new comment on it.

Aunt Phyllis Quotes in Running in the Family

The Running in the Family quotes below are all either spoken by Aunt Phyllis or refer to Aunt Phyllis. 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:
Memory, History, and Story Theme Icon
).
Jaffna Afternoons Quotes

I see my own straining body which stands shaped like a star and realize gradually that I am part of a human pyramid. Below me there are other bodies that I am standing on and above me there are several more, though I am quite near the top. With cumbersome slowness we are walking from one end of the huge living room to another.

Related Characters: Michael Ondaatje (speaker), Gillian , Aunt Phyllis
Related Symbols: The Human Pyramid
Page Number: 27
Explanation and Analysis:
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Running in the Family PDF

Aunt Phyllis Quotes in Running in the Family

The Running in the Family quotes below are all either spoken by Aunt Phyllis or refer to Aunt Phyllis. 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:
Memory, History, and Story Theme Icon
).
Jaffna Afternoons Quotes

I see my own straining body which stands shaped like a star and realize gradually that I am part of a human pyramid. Below me there are other bodies that I am standing on and above me there are several more, though I am quite near the top. With cumbersome slowness we are walking from one end of the huge living room to another.

Related Characters: Michael Ondaatje (speaker), Gillian , Aunt Phyllis
Related Symbols: The Human Pyramid
Page Number: 27
Explanation and Analysis: