Scythe

by

Neal Shusterman

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Scythe Curie Character Analysis

An old and famous scythe known as the Grande Dame of Death, as she gleaned the last president and his cabinet more than 150 years before the novel begins. She wears lavender robes, has long gray hair, and has an intense and uncomfortable stare. She also adores old cars from the mortal age. Though Citra suspects that Curie doesn't like her, Curie steps forward to assume the role of Citra's mentor when Scythe Faraday self-gleans. Citra mostly feels okay about this, as Faraday respected Curie, and Citra knows that Curie is an old guard, compassionate scythe. Curie teaches Citra about how to be truly compassionate, especially to the families of those she gleans. While she gleans people suddenly and without warning, she always invites the bereaved to her home for dinner. While the families are there, Curie listens to them talk about their deceased loved ones, thereby sharing in their grief and giving the families a sense of closure. Citra finds this very meaningful and grows to respect Curie for the way she handles gleaning. The two form a trusting bond that means Curie has no qualms about helping Citra escape the MidMerican Scythedom after Xenocrates accuses Citra of killing Faraday. Curie admits to Citra that the evidence Xenocrates used (Faraday's journal entry saying he fears his female apprentice might kill him) is actually about her: she was once his apprentice but was in love with him, not murderous. Citra discovers not long after that their relationship still runs deep, as Curie is the only scythe who knows that Faraday is alive and in retirement in Amazonia. Curie's gleaning journal entries, which begin most of the novel's chapters, offer insight into the history of the immortal world as well as insight into how she conceptualizes her job. She makes it clear that being a scythe is grueling, though she tries her best to hold onto her humanity and make it known that she cares deeply for her victims.

Scythe Curie Quotes in Scythe

The Scythe quotes below are all either spoken by Scythe Curie or refer to Scythe Curie. 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:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Perhaps that is why we must, by law, keep a record. A public journal, testifying to those who will never die and those who are yet to be born, as to why we human beings do the things we do. We are instructed to write down not just our deeds but our feelings, because it must be known that we do have feelings. Remorse. Regret. Sorrow too great to bear. Because if we didn't feel those things, what monsters would we be?

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker)
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

When it was decided that people needed to die in order to ease the tide of population growth, it was also decided that this must be the responsibility of humans. Bridge repair and urban planning could be handled by the Thunderhead, but taking a life was an act of conscience and consciousness. Since it could not be proven that the Thunderhead had either, the Scythedom was born.

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker), Scythe Goddard
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

"But people could read it. The Scythe Archive is open to everyone."

"Yeah," said Rowan, "like the Thunderhead. People can read anything, but no one does. All they do is play games and watch cat holograms."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch (speaker), Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

The Scythedom uses the Thunderhead for countless tasks—but to us, it's simply a database. A tool, nothing more. As an entity—as a mind—the Thunderhead does not exist for us.

And yet it does, and we know it.

Estrangement from the collective consciousness of humanity's wisdom is just one more thing that sets scythes apart from others.

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker)
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 155
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

"Every scythe has his or her own method. That happens to be mine. In the Age of Mortality, death would often come with no warning. It is our task to mimic what we've stolen from nature—and so that is the face of death I've chosen to recreate. My gleanings are always instantaneous and always public, lest people forget what we do, and why we must do it."

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker), Citra Terranova
Page Number: 191
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

"We believe in the Great Vibration, and that it will free us from being stagnant."

Stagnant.

It was the word Scythe Curie used to describe the people she chose to glean.

Related Characters: Brother Ferguson (speaker), Citra Terranova, Scythe Curie
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

"I was headstrong and stupid in my early days. I thought that by gleaning just the right people at just the right time, I could change the world for the better. I believed, in my arrogance, that I had a keen grasp of the big picture that others lack. But of course, I was just as limited as everyone else."

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker), Citra Terranova, Scythe Goddard
Page Number: 273
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

Would the Thunderhead grieve our passing, I wonder? And if so, would it grieve as the child who has lost a parent, or as the parent who could not save a petulant child from its own poor choices?

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker)
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 294
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 29 Quotes

"But if this really is a scandal in the Scythedom—"

"—then your best possible position would be to achieve scythehood yourself, and fight it from the inside."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Scythe Curie (speaker), Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 319
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Scythe LitChart as a printable PDF.
Scythe PDF

Scythe Curie Quotes in Scythe

The Scythe quotes below are all either spoken by Scythe Curie or refer to Scythe Curie. 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:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Perhaps that is why we must, by law, keep a record. A public journal, testifying to those who will never die and those who are yet to be born, as to why we human beings do the things we do. We are instructed to write down not just our deeds but our feelings, because it must be known that we do have feelings. Remorse. Regret. Sorrow too great to bear. Because if we didn't feel those things, what monsters would we be?

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker)
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

When it was decided that people needed to die in order to ease the tide of population growth, it was also decided that this must be the responsibility of humans. Bridge repair and urban planning could be handled by the Thunderhead, but taking a life was an act of conscience and consciousness. Since it could not be proven that the Thunderhead had either, the Scythedom was born.

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker), Scythe Goddard
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

"But people could read it. The Scythe Archive is open to everyone."

"Yeah," said Rowan, "like the Thunderhead. People can read anything, but no one does. All they do is play games and watch cat holograms."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Rowan Damisch (speaker), Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

The Scythedom uses the Thunderhead for countless tasks—but to us, it's simply a database. A tool, nothing more. As an entity—as a mind—the Thunderhead does not exist for us.

And yet it does, and we know it.

Estrangement from the collective consciousness of humanity's wisdom is just one more thing that sets scythes apart from others.

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker)
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 155
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

"Every scythe has his or her own method. That happens to be mine. In the Age of Mortality, death would often come with no warning. It is our task to mimic what we've stolen from nature—and so that is the face of death I've chosen to recreate. My gleanings are always instantaneous and always public, lest people forget what we do, and why we must do it."

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker), Citra Terranova
Page Number: 191
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

"We believe in the Great Vibration, and that it will free us from being stagnant."

Stagnant.

It was the word Scythe Curie used to describe the people she chose to glean.

Related Characters: Brother Ferguson (speaker), Citra Terranova, Scythe Curie
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

"I was headstrong and stupid in my early days. I thought that by gleaning just the right people at just the right time, I could change the world for the better. I believed, in my arrogance, that I had a keen grasp of the big picture that others lack. But of course, I was just as limited as everyone else."

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker), Citra Terranova, Scythe Goddard
Page Number: 273
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

Would the Thunderhead grieve our passing, I wonder? And if so, would it grieve as the child who has lost a parent, or as the parent who could not save a petulant child from its own poor choices?

Related Characters: Scythe Curie (speaker)
Related Symbols: Thunderhead
Page Number: 294
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 29 Quotes

"But if this really is a scandal in the Scythedom—"

"—then your best possible position would be to achieve scythehood yourself, and fight it from the inside."

Related Characters: Citra Terranova (speaker), Scythe Curie (speaker), Scythe Goddard, Scythe Faraday / Gerald Van Der Gans
Page Number: 319
Explanation and Analysis: