A Jamaican Jew who converts to Christianity while fighting in World War I. Ostracized by his own family, he marries a Jamaican Christian woman named Louise. During Gilbert’s childhood, his father is an incurable alcoholic, forcing his wife and children to take care of themselves. Still, Gilbert’s awareness of his own Jewish heritage makes him eager to take part in the fight against Hitler.
Gilbert’s Father Quotes in Small Island
The Small Island quotes below are all either spoken by Gilbert’s Father or refer to Gilbert’s Father. 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 11: Gilbert
Quotes
Anthropoid—I looked to the dictionary to find the meaning of this word used by Hitler and his friends to describe Jews and colored men. I got a punch in the head when the implication jumped from the page and struck me: “resembling a human but primitive, like an ape.” Two whacks I got. For I am a black man whose father was born a Jew.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Small Island LitChart as a printable PDF.
Gilbert’s Father Quotes in Small Island
The Small Island quotes below are all either spoken by Gilbert’s Father or refer to Gilbert’s Father. 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 11: Gilbert
Quotes
Anthropoid—I looked to the dictionary to find the meaning of this word used by Hitler and his friends to describe Jews and colored men. I got a punch in the head when the implication jumped from the page and struck me: “resembling a human but primitive, like an ape.” Two whacks I got. For I am a black man whose father was born a Jew.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
