Jimmie Character Analysis in The Bone Sparrow

Jimmie is a girl who lives up the hill from the detention center with her dad and her older brother, Jonah. Her mum died three years before the novel begins. At the beginning of the novel, Jimmie is still struggling to process and move on from her grief. She clings to the Bone Sparrow necklace that her mum gave her before she died, as well as a book containing a story her mum used to read to her about her great-great-great-grandparents. Though Jimmie loves books and stories, she can’t read, and so she hasn’t heard the story since before her mum’s death. Jimmie begins to heal from her grief when she decides to investigate the detention center and befriends Subhi, who reads her mum’s story to her each night she visits. After Subhi saves her when she comes down with a dangerous infection, Jimmie sneaks into the camp one last time to pass Subhi the Bone Sparrow necklace. She explains to him that sparrows are symbols of protection—and Subhi needs the necklace’s protection more than she does.

Jimmie Quotes in The Bone Sparrow

The The Bone Sparrow quotes below are all either spoken by Jimmie or refer to Jimmie. 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:

Dehumanization, Invisibility, and Refugee Camps Theme Icon

Her mum had written down each and every word in that book, and one day Jimmie would read them and hear her mum’s voice again. So she didn’t pack the book into the boxes with the other things.

That was three years ago. She still can’t read the words. Still can’t hear her mum’s voice.

Related Characters: Jimmie, Jimmie’s Mum, Subhi

Related Symbols: The Book, Sparrows/the Bone Sparrow

Page Number and Citation: 27

Explanation and Analysis:

I know about Thermoses because some days the Jackets bring them in filled with wonderful smells that I never knew existed, and they sip away at those smells and yo-yo their keys, and all I can do is watch. Queeny gets right mad when they do that, but that just makes them laugh. They don’t laugh with their eyes, though, and soon enough they move away or put the lids back on the Thermoses. I don’t mind it. With smells, if you close your eyes and breathe as deep as you can, they turn into a taste right at the back of your throat, and then you can almost pretend that the Thermos was brought in for you as well.

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Jimmie, Queeny

Page Number and Citation: 116

Explanation and Analysis:

‘Subhi. I don’t want it to end. I want this to last.’

I hand back that book without another word. I get it. I don’t want my ba’s stories to ever end either. ‘Good thing you don’t know them then,’ the duck says quietly. ‘They can’t end if they never start.’ He thinks he’s being funny.

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Jimmie, Ba, Jimmie’s Mum

Related Symbols: The Book, The Duck

Page Number and Citation: 124

Explanation and Analysis:

She wonders what it would be like, only knowing what’s inside that fence. Never being able to go exploring. Never swimming in the creek or running down a hill. ‘He’s probably never even climbed a tree,’ she says out loud. Jimmie feels the howl in her throat turn from happy to sad at the unfairness of it all.

How can people be so mean to each other when isn’t everyone just the same anyway, and why can’t anyone work that out?

Related Characters: Jimmie (speaker), Subhi

Page Number and Citation: 129

Explanation and Analysis:

I never used to know what Queeny meant when she said that, about being invisible. But then I think of Eli and I think of Nasir, and I think of the different I feel when Jimmie is here. Like someone is really seeing me, really listening. I haven’t felt like that before. So when Queeny asks me if I understand, I do. And I wonder if maybe that’s how everyone is feeling. I wonder if maybe that’s the sad angry sick that’s all over the place and funking up the air.

And I wish I didn’t understand, because understanding doesn’t fix it. Understanding just makes it worse.

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Jimmie, Eli, Queeny, Nasir

Page Number and Citation: 158

Explanation and Analysis:

Jimmie wants to ask more. Wants to find out how they can help, so that no one has to sew their lips together. Wants to know why they have been locked up in there for so long. Why no one is listening. Why it is illegal for people to try to save their families. Why it is illegal to want to live. Jimmie wants to know.

But her dad has already slid the paper across the table and is flicking through to the sports pages.

Related Characters: Jimmie, Jimmie’s Dad, Subhi, Eli, Queeny

Page Number and Citation: 182

Explanation and Analysis:

Queeny says they only do it so that I shut up for a bit and stop pestering them for more stories. She reckons the only time I’m ever quiet is when I’m being told a story. But Queeny doesn’t get it. I need these stories. Everyone else in here has memories to hold on to. Everyone else has things to think on to stop them getting squashed down to nothing. But I don’t have memories of anywhere else, and all these days just squish into the same. I need their stories. I need them to make my memories.

Harvey says that drawing down the stories for the oldies is important. He says it’s like I’m making the oldies their very own blanket to wrap themselves up in and keep them warm and safe.

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Queeny, Harvey, Jimmie, Jimmie’s Mum

Related Symbols: The Book

Page Number and Citation: 195

Explanation and Analysis:

All the little rats who are too scared to go into the Space watch me, their noses quivering to see what happens next. I tell them that when I get back, I’ll tickle their stomachs for them, each and every one, and give them chocolate every chance I get. I tell them I’m sorry for their baby.

I don’t run. I walk. Just like Jimmie did. Straight ahead to the perimeter fence. [...]

Then I’m under and those rats and cheering and clapping their paws together and some are even whistling their congratulations.

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Jimmie

Related Symbols: Rats

Page Number and Citation: 230-31

Explanation and Analysis:

I’m frozen just watching. More and more black angry smoke clouds up from the camp, and I just want to be with Maá and Queeny and Eli, no matter if it means sizzling right up like a sausage along with them.

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Eli, Queeny, Jimmie, Maá

Page Number and Citation: 241

Explanation and Analysis:

I look at Harvey. I think of Oto and Anka and Iliya and Ba and Maá and Queeny and Eli and all of us. All of them all that time ago, and all of us now. Just trying to find somewhere to be safe. Just walking our journey to peace. I can hear Queeny’s words in my head and now they make sense. I get it now.

‘We’re the dead rats, Harvey. Just like Queeny said. Left out to rot so no one else bothers to try. There’s no keeping safe for us.’

Harvey looks at me like he’s never seen me before. But he doesn’t say I’m wrong.

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Oto, Anka, Iliya, Ba, Maá, Queeny, Eli, Jimmie, Jimmie’s Mum, Beaver, Harvey

Related Symbols: The Book, Rats

Page Number and Citation: 260

Explanation and Analysis:

‘The sparrow in the house. Queeny was right after all. It did mean death. Eli...’ But Jimmie hears me. She hears and her eyes go soft and she shakes her head and brings my hand up to her cheek.

‘No, Subhi, you’re wrong. A sparrow in the house doesn’t mean death. It means change. Waking up new and starting again. Subhi, a sparrow in the house is a sign of hope.’

Related Characters: Subhi (speaker), Jimmie (speaker), Eli, Maá

Related Symbols: The Book, Sparrows/the Bone Sparrow

Page Number and Citation: 274-275

Explanation and Analysis:

Jimmie Character Timeline in The Bone Sparrow

The timeline below shows where the character Jimmie appears in The Bone Sparrow. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Jimmie knows what today is, and she doesn’t want to wake up and acknowledge it. Instead,... (full context)

The first and second years were the hardest, but Jimmie’s dad was right: it is getting easier. Today marks the beginning of the fourth year.... (full context)

Storytelling, Escapism, and Hope Theme Icon

Jimmie hasn’t gone to school much since her mum died. She likes school, but she has... (full context)

Jimmie’s family used to move around a lot, but Jimmie’s mum declared that this place was... (full context)

The town is full of memories, and Jimmie likes exploring them with her pet rat, Raticus. They explore the rotting houses and imagine... (full context)

Lying in bed, Jimmie can’t stop thinking about the Centre. Suddenly, she decides she has to know more, so... (full context)

...creeps out of the tent. There’s no sea, but the wind is swirling—and there’s a girl in the dust. (full context)

...begins to argue back before shoving the duck into his pocket. He doesn’t need this girl thinking he’s crazy. The girl doesn’t move. Subhi can tell she’s not “one of us,”... (full context)

The girl shrugs as though they’ve been talking this whole time. As she turns away, she asks... (full context)

When Subhi wakes up in the morning, he thinks that the girl from Outside must’ve been a dream. But outside, he finds her ball of snot and... (full context)

...Maybe it’ll work better for Eli. Later, Subhi realizes he never told Eli about the girl. Subhi tries to draw the girl and thinks about Ba so he doesn’t think about... (full context)

Jimmie is thinking about Subhi. She likes him—he seemed quiet and talked to a rubber duck.... (full context)

It’s now been eight nights since the girl came, and Subhi has spent each of them outside with the Shakespeare duck, waiting for... (full context)

Jimmie pulls out a small flashlight and turns it on, but Subhi shoves it down and... (full context)

They settle down behind the bushes. Jimmie holds the book and says again that it’s her mum’s. Subhi wonders what it’d be... (full context)

...from an egg.” Subhi stops—Queeny would hate this story for being “stupid” and fantastical. But Jimmie just explains that Anka was her great-great-great-grandmother and tells Subhi to keep going. Back in... (full context)

...page is just a list of the top 10 places to visit before you die. Jimmie is crying as she looks at the Bone Sparrow. Subhi asks if he should keep... (full context)

Jimmie stops outside the fence to think. She knows the story by heart, but she forgot... (full context)

As soon as Subhi is done, he races for the fence to tell Eli about Jimmie and the stories. But there’s only a ribbon tied in a bow on the fence,... (full context)

...one happy thought. Though Subhi tries to think of his ba, instead, he thinks of Jimmie and her story. It’s his happiest pebble yet. (full context)

...and remember his own Pebbles of Happy. As Nasir falls asleep, Subhi tells him about Jimmie and puts Jimmie’s feather in his hand. Later, Subhi tells Maá about his birthday and... (full context)

Subhi and the Shakespeare duck are playing a stone-stacking game while they wait for Jimmie. This is the third night they’ve waited, and Subhi is beginning to wonder if Jimmie... (full context)

Then, Jimmie passes Subhi the Thermos. The hot chocolate is so sweet—and before Subhi knows it, he’s... (full context)

Jimmie is excited as she tells Subhi about Outside. She promises to take Subhi everywhere someday,... (full context)

At this point, Jimmie tells Subhi she has to go. Subhi wants to keep reading, but Jimmie says that... (full context)

Jimmie flashes her flashlight back at the Centre all the way up the hill and whoops... (full context)

...make friends, but Subhi misses him. He still hasn’t been able to tell Eli about Jimmie, in part because it doesn’t seem like Eli really listens anymore. Now, Subhi approaches the... (full context)

Nasir died earlier. Subhi is sitting in the corner, waiting for Jimmie and thinking about it. It didn’t feel real when Harvey told him, and Harvey hugged... (full context)

Subhi notices Jimmie’s flashlight and considers not flashing back. He does, though, and Jimmie knows immediately that something... (full context)

Jimmie then pulls the book out of her pocket and asks Subhi to read just a... (full context)

...feel the wind, which has perhaps brushed his ba’s cheeks. He opens his eyes to Jimmie putting the Bone Sparrow in his hand. It’s hot—and Subhi is certain Queeny is wrong.... (full context)

Jimmie shimmies under the fence and then Subhi passes her the book. When his hand brushes... (full context)

...they realized they’re invisible. Subhi never knew what that meant, but now he does: when Jimmie is here, he feels seen. He wishes he didn’t understand, since understanding doesn’t fix anything.... (full context)

Fortunately, the rain washes away the puddles of vomit before Jimmie visits next. The “sad angry” is still floating around, though, and Subhi is thinking about... (full context)

Jimmie asks what Subhi did today. He tells her about having to wait in line for... (full context)

...minus the bird’s coin. He continues his journey. At this point, the story stops, and Jimmie’s mum has written directions to a friend’s house. Subhi wants to keep going. He wants... (full context)

...Eli’s so they’re crying together. Just then, a sparrow lands next to them. Thinking of Jimmie’s story, Subhi starts to tell Eli how to escape the fence. He starts to mention... (full context)

...to tell him how to get past the fence. Before Subhi can tell Eli about Jimmie and the Bone Sparrow, a man from Alpha walks up carrying some string. Eli tells... (full context)

Jimmie gets home from school—it’s her third day at school this week. She pulls a book... (full context)

Jimmie’s dad appears over Jimmie’s shoulder and observes that it’s so sad these people feel like... (full context)

After three days, Subhi finally sees Jimmie’s light flash. He wants to see her and tell her everything because somehow, she makes... (full context)

Jimmie tells Subhi about how her mum kept a vegetable garden and sang to the plants... (full context)

Jimmie gets home close to midnight, happier than she’s been in a long time. She knows... (full context)

...his arm. Subhi sits next to Maá and draws a picture of Anka’s birth for Jimmie. This way, Jimmie can remember the story even though she can’t read it. Sometimes, the... (full context)

...says that “[a]t least what [she’s] doing is real.” Suddenly, Subhi is telling her about Jimmie and how brave Jimmie is, but Queeny isn’t listening. The duck observes that Subhi does,... (full context)

...and then he walks fences until he calms down. He finds himself in his and Jimmie’s corner and pretends that everything is okay—that Queeny isn’t mad, that Maá isn’t asleep, that... (full context)

Jimmie misses school because she’s sick. Her dad figures it’s the flu, and Jimmie doesn’t mind... (full context)

Then, Jimmie’s dad says he has good news: he got a new job as a groundskeeper at... (full context)

...shut, and 87 are on hunger strike. Subhi has saved the picture he drew for Jimmie, and he tries to tell himself stories to distract from the “fizzing” in his head.... (full context)

Now it’s night and Subhi and the Shakespeare duck are waiting for Jimmie. The duck repeats one of Harvey’s favorite phrases, “A problem shared is a problem halved.”... (full context)

...babies a lot, so Subhi knows what an unwell baby or little kid looks like. Jimmie is clearly unwell, and her arm is hot when Subhi touches her—while her toes are... (full context)

Jimmie keeps walking and tripping and falling. She hears words repeating in her head and covers... (full context)

Subhi tells himself that Jimmie will be back for her book, trying to ignore the part of him afraid that... (full context)

Subhi knows that Jimmie has to hear how the story ends, and that it ends happily. She has to... (full context)

Subhi feels awful: he should’ve gone to save Jimmie when he had the chance. It’s morning now and the searchlights are still on—soon, the... (full context)

...to not have memories of Outside. He can’t stop thinking that it’s been hours since Jimmie called for help. Suddenly, Queeny turns to Subhi and tells him to wait in the... (full context)

Subhi knows Jimmie needs him. All the kids are talking about the Jackets and their riot gear—and maybe... (full context)

It’s surprisingly easy to find Jimmie’s house. Jimmie is lying on the ground under the window, feverish and breathing quickly. The... (full context)

...Subhi it’ll be okay—an ambulance is on its way and Subhi just needs to keep Jimmie calm. Subhi hears Jimmie calling for him and notices red dots on her face. Dropping... (full context)

...finds the weak spot so that Eli can escape later. He leaves the book on Jimmie’s chest and hides in the shadows. The first responders take the book off Jimmie’s chest,... (full context)

...boots running, Subhi hides in a tent’s shadow. He realizes he’s looking at his and Jimmie’s corner, which isn’t a corner anymore since the fence is down. Ahead, Subhi sees Eli... (full context)

...head, Subhi hears Eli saying the Jackets aren’t “worth spit.” Subhi desperately wants to see Jimmie and tell her that he’s the only one who knows the truth. (full context)

...she did when he was little. Her eyes are sad as she asks if the girl (Jimmie) is real. She apologizes and then pulls a book out from under Maá’s bed.... (full context)

Subhi wakes up to Jimmie looking down at him. They quietly tell each other jokes for a minute, holding in... (full context)

...makes her smile when she reads it. Still, Eli was right the lights are beautiful. Jimmie will be watching too, and in Subhi’s head, they’re all watching. Hopefully Harvey is, too. (full context)

The Bone Sparrow

Jimmie Character Analysis

Jimmie Quotes in The Bone Sparrow

Chapter 3 Quotes

Chapter 14 Quotes

Chapter 15 Quotes

Chapter 18 Quotes

Chapter 20 Quotes

Chapter 23 Quotes

Chapter 28 Quotes

Chapter 30 Quotes

Chapter 33 Quotes

Chapter 35 Quotes

Jimmie Character Timeline in The Bone Sparrow