Starship Troopers

by

Robert A. Heinlein

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Carmen Ibañez Character Analysis

Carmen is a classmate and friend of Johnnie’s who volunteers for service on her 18th birthday, along with Carl. Johnnie’s decision to enlist is partially inspired by Carmen, whom he wants to impress. She’s as intelligent as she is beautiful, and she’s readily accepted into Federal Service for pilot training. She and Johnnie stay in touch throughout their training, and Johnnie continues to find her beauty and her example inspiring.

Carmen Ibañez Quotes in Starship Troopers

The Starship Troopers quotes below are all either spoken by Carmen Ibañez or refer to Carmen Ibañez . 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:
Militarism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9  Quotes

But I didn’t go to the social center that first pass. Mostly I stood around and gawked—at beautiful buildings, at display windows filled with all manner of unnecessary things (and not a weapon among them), at all those people running around, or even strolling, doing exactly as they pleased and no two dressed alike—and at girls.

Especially at girls. I hadn’t realized just how wonderful they were. Look, I’ve approved of girls from the time I first noticed that the difference was more than just that they dress differently. So far as I remember I never did go through that period boys are supposed to go through when they know that girls are different but dislike them. I’ve always liked girls.

But that day I realized that I had long been taking them for granted.

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Carmen Ibañez
Page Number: 158
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

Nevertheless, I had signed up in order to win a vote.

Or had I?

Had I ever cared about voting? No, it was the prestige, the pride, the status…of being a citizen.

Or was it?

I couldn’t remember to save my life why I had signed up.

Anyhow, it wasn’t the process of voting that made a citizen—the Lieutenant had been a citizen in the truest sense of the word, even though he had not lived long enough ever to cast a ballot. He had “voted” every time he made a drop.

And so had I!

I could hear Colonel Dubois in my mind: “Citizenship is an attitude, a state of mind, an emotional conviction that the whole is greater than the part…and that the part should be humbly proud to sacrifice itself that the whole may live.”

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Mr. Dubois, Carl, Carmen Ibañez , Lieutenant Rasczak
Page Number: 207
Explanation and Analysis:
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Carmen Ibañez Quotes in Starship Troopers

The Starship Troopers quotes below are all either spoken by Carmen Ibañez or refer to Carmen Ibañez . 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:
Militarism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9  Quotes

But I didn’t go to the social center that first pass. Mostly I stood around and gawked—at beautiful buildings, at display windows filled with all manner of unnecessary things (and not a weapon among them), at all those people running around, or even strolling, doing exactly as they pleased and no two dressed alike—and at girls.

Especially at girls. I hadn’t realized just how wonderful they were. Look, I’ve approved of girls from the time I first noticed that the difference was more than just that they dress differently. So far as I remember I never did go through that period boys are supposed to go through when they know that girls are different but dislike them. I’ve always liked girls.

But that day I realized that I had long been taking them for granted.

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Carmen Ibañez
Page Number: 158
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

Nevertheless, I had signed up in order to win a vote.

Or had I?

Had I ever cared about voting? No, it was the prestige, the pride, the status…of being a citizen.

Or was it?

I couldn’t remember to save my life why I had signed up.

Anyhow, it wasn’t the process of voting that made a citizen—the Lieutenant had been a citizen in the truest sense of the word, even though he had not lived long enough ever to cast a ballot. He had “voted” every time he made a drop.

And so had I!

I could hear Colonel Dubois in my mind: “Citizenship is an attitude, a state of mind, an emotional conviction that the whole is greater than the part…and that the part should be humbly proud to sacrifice itself that the whole may live.”

Related Characters: Johnnie Rico (speaker), Mr. Dubois, Carl, Carmen Ibañez , Lieutenant Rasczak
Page Number: 207
Explanation and Analysis: