Elizabeth Colton Character Analysis in Station Eleven

Elizabeth is Arthur’s second wife and Tyler’s mother. She is a borderline alcoholic movie star, and believes that everything happens for a reason. This belief is put to the test and then reaffirmed after the collapse, as she comes to believe, perhaps as a way to stave of despair, that the pandemic was a cleansing that allowed only those who were meant to survive to live on. Elizabeth instills this point of view in Tyler, ultimately leading to him becoming the Prophet after her death.

Elizabeth Colton Quotes in Station Eleven

The Station Eleven quotes below are all either spoken by Elizabeth Colton or refer to Elizabeth Colton. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Vintage edition of Station Eleven published in 2015.

“No one ever thinks they're awful, even people who really actually are. It's some sort of survival mechanism."
“I think this is happening because it was supposed to happen." Elizabeth speaks very softly.
"I'd prefer not to think that I'm following a script," Miranda says.

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker)

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 106

Explanation and Analysis:

Elizabeth Colton Character Timeline in Station Eleven

The timeline below shows where the character Elizabeth Colton appears in Station Eleven. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...to notify his family. They discuss his son, Tyler, his second (out of three) ex-wife Elizabeth, and ultimately decide to call his lawyer. They all have a drink, toasting to Arthur. (full context)

...in “Praha,” at which point Clark interjects that she can call it “Prague” in English. Elizabeth Colton, Arthur’s co-star and the woman he has been looking at all night, says that... (full context)

...Miranda and Arthur met. When Arthur says that it’s not that exciting of a story, Elizabeth remarks that she believes everything happens for a reason and that she loves hearing how... (full context)

...her back at the apartment. As the story ends inside, Miranda notices the way that Elizabeth looks at Arthur and touches his arm. Miranda turns away and Clark comes out for... (full context)

...in the morning she goes to the kitchen for a cup of tea and notices Elizabeth Colton passed out on the sofa in the living room. Miranda tries to talk to... (full context)

...photo and says his name is Jeevan. He gives her a cigarette and asks why Elizabeth Colton’s car is still in the driveway. Miranda responds that she’s a raging alcoholic and... (full context)

...taking the paperweight, Miranda returns to her studio to continue working on Station Eleven. Soon Elizabeth shows up to apologize. Miranda tells her that what she has done (have an affair... (full context)

Three months later, Arthur and Miranda get divorced. While Elizabeth moves into their Hollywood home, Miranda moves back to Toronto and starts working for Leon... (full context)

...have dinner in London. By this point, Arthur has a son with his second wife (Elizabeth Colton) and he has just been served divorce papers by his third wife. He tells... (full context)

...next letter informs V that Arthur has met and fallen in love with someone else: Elizabeth Colton. He also writes of a dinner with Clark and Elizabeth, which was a bit... (full context)

This chapter takes place before the Flu. It begins with Elizabeth Colton calling Clark to notify him of the impending publication of the book Dear V.... (full context)

...he won’t tell another soul for twenty-four hours, Arthur tells Jeevan that he is leaving Elizabeth Colton for Lydia Marks. He says that nothing bad has ever happened to Elizabeth, and... (full context)

...after the Flu, Jeevan tries to remember what happened after Arthur told him about leaving Elizabeth Colton. Jeevan entertains random memories and wonders if he’ll ever see his girlfriend again. Cellphones... (full context)

...Arthur, on the other hand, has an eight-year-old son (Tyler) who lives with his mother (Elizabeth) in Jerusalem. (full context)

In New York, Clark hangs up the phone and pauses before moving on to calling Elizabeth Colton. During the pause, he receives a call from Arthur’s lawyer, Gary Heller. Heller starts... (full context)

The conversation with Elizabeth is short. Clark informs her of the news, and tells her that the will dictated... (full context)

...contagious. He then boards an airplane filled with similarly lucky, healthy people, including, by chance, Elizabeth Colton and her son Tyler. As they board he says hello, and they don’t speak... (full context)

...line up at the one restaurant. Meanwhile, Clark goes to the Skymiles Lounge and finds Elizabeth Colton next to Tyler, who is playing videogames. The two adults are both shocked by... (full context)

As Clark and Elizabeth sit in the Skymiles Lounge, a final airplane lands, but it is moved away from... (full context)

On Day Two, there is a brief excitement when people living in the airport recognize Elizabeth and Tyler. They seem to be in shock, and they complain that they wish their... (full context)

During this time, Tyler spends his days reading his comic books over and over again. Elizabeth constantly prays. The televisions are all silent. On Day Twelve the power goes out, though... (full context)

...city, including the awkward dinner party at Arthur’s house. Tyler is almost always silent, while Elizabeth tells Clark, “I can’t wait till things get back to normal.” (full context)

A little while later, Clark and Elizabeth discuss the end of civilization. She doesn’t believe that it has truly come to an... (full context)

...that landed but was kept away from the airport. Snow falls after Roy’s departure, and Elizabeth insists on keeping a runway clean, even after it’s clear that Roy won’t return, as... (full context)

...but Dolores confirms it’s just because the age of light pollution has ended. Always optimistic, Elizabeth maintains that the lights will eventually come back on someday. (full context)

...wanders in and comments that everything happens for a reason, to which Garrett says that Elizabeth is a lunatic. Clark then suggests sending out a scouting party. (full context)

Included in the Museum are Elizabeth and Tyler’s passports, which they gave to Clark before leaving in Year Two. He reflects... (full context)

After this creepy interaction, Clark tried to confront Elizabeth, but she agreed with Tyler and clearly had given him the idea that the pandemic... (full context)

...think not, as there was no old woman with him. Clark wonders what became of Elizabeth, and remembers Tyler, Arthur Leander’s son, now revealed to be the prophet, reading to the... (full context)

...the comic with a passing resemblance to himself. There is a woman that is clearly Elizabeth Colton, and a man that looks a little bit like Arthur. Miranda is replaced by... (full context)