Kennedy's mother. Ava is very proper and the epitome of feminine womanhood, having been raised on the debutante circuit in the South. Though both Kennedy and Micah find this tiring, Violet loves it: it means that Ava throws wonderful tea parties for her granddaughter, complete with her good wedding china. Ava babysits Violet often and though she usually follows Kennedy's wishes as to what television Violet can watch, she does occasionally watch Fox News around Violet. While Ava doesn't see herself as racist or hateful, she does object to Violet's desire to be Princess Tiana (who's black) for Halloween, and Kennedy believes that her television viewing habits betray latent racism and conservatism that she doesn't appreciate. Ava, on the other hand, insists she's not racist since she loved her childhood black maid, Beattie, like family. Kennedy usually rolls her eyes when Ava brings this up, but when Ava attends Mama's funeral and shows Ruth a photograph of herself and Beattie, Ruth sees that there was genuine love between the two.
Ava Quotes in Small Great Things
The Small Great Things quotes below are all either spoken by Ava or refer to Ava. 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:
).
Chapter 17, Ruth
Quotes
It is a picture of a Black woman wearing a maid's uniform, holding a little girl in her arms. The girl has hair as light as snow, and her hand is pressed against her caregiver's cheek in shocking contrast. There's more than just duty between them. There's pride. There's love. "I didn't know your mother. But, Ruth—she didn't waste her life."
Related Characters:
Ruth Jefferson (speaker), Ava (speaker), Kennedy McQuarrie, Mama, Beattie
Related Symbols:
The Photograph
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Small Great Things LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ava Quotes in Small Great Things
The Small Great Things quotes below are all either spoken by Ava or refer to Ava. 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:
).
Chapter 17, Ruth
Quotes
It is a picture of a Black woman wearing a maid's uniform, holding a little girl in her arms. The girl has hair as light as snow, and her hand is pressed against her caregiver's cheek in shocking contrast. There's more than just duty between them. There's pride. There's love. "I didn't know your mother. But, Ruth—she didn't waste her life."
Related Characters:
Ruth Jefferson (speaker), Ava (speaker), Kennedy McQuarrie, Mama, Beattie
Related Symbols:
The Photograph
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
