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Mike Tritico
A successful, “gifted” gospel singer and “caring mother of two” who grew up in the “poorest town in America” and is widely beloved in Lake Charles, where she now lives. Massey is deeply dedicated to her church, skeptical of regulations and social services, and indebted to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News for telling her what political issues to care about. She credits religion for lifting her out of poverty and thinks it should take over many roles that the government usually fulfills.
Madonna Massey Quotes in Strangers in Their Own Land
The Strangers in Their Own Land quotes below are all either spoken by Madonna Massey or refer to Madonna Massey. 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:
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Chapter 8 Quotes
Churches typically ask parishioners to tithe—to give 10 percent of their income. For many this is a large sum, but it is considered an honor to give it. They pay taxes, but they give at church.
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Madonna Massey Character Timeline in Strangers in Their Own Land
The timeline below shows where the character Madonna Massey appears in Strangers in Their Own Land. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1 – Traveling to the Heart
Hochschild remembers meeting gospel singer Madonna Massey at a Republican Women of Southwest Louisiana meeting. Madonna proclaimed her love for conservative...
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Chapter 8 – The Pulpit and the Press: “The Topic Doesn’t Come Up”
Upon meeting Madonna Massey at Starbucks in Lake Charles, Hochschild immediately notes “how many people seem happy to...
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Hochschild visits the Masseys’ Living Way Pentecostal Church, where Madonna’s husband, Glenn, is the pastor. She sits next to...
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The Masseys’ church “focuses on human healing,” a role Hochschild suggests that “psychotherapy and meditation, as well...
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Madonna Massey moved to Lake Charles recently, so she has not heard about many of the...
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Massey grew up in “the poorest town in America” but “has since prospered beyond her wildest...
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...therapy, she suggests, church offers the emotional safety and support people need to endure hardship. Madonna Massey believes that the Second Coming is imminent and will bring believers like her to...
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Over tea, Madonna Massey shows Hochschild the conservative pundits, politicians, church leaders, and news sources she follows on...
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Chapter 16 – “They Say There Are Beautiful Trees”
...and Sister Fay’s—now, they are arguing about Trump, whom Donny supports and Mike opposes. And Madonna Massey throws a fit when her daughter watches Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” video, frightened about “the...
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