The Girl Who Smiled Beads

by

Clemantine Wamariya

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Girl Who Smiled Beads makes teaching easy.

Mrs. Thomas Character Analysis

Mrs. Thomas is the woman with whom Clemantine stays during the week to attend a nice school in the United States. Mrs. Thomas has a beautiful suburban house. Clemantine calls Mrs. Thomas her American mother. Mrs. Thomas encourages Clemantine to write the essay that wins Oprah’s essay contest and helps her get into Yale. Mrs. Thomas gives Clemantine many objects – a heart-shaped locket, a collection of beads – that make Clemantine feel loved and at home.

Mrs. Thomas Quotes in The Girl Who Smiled Beads

The The Girl Who Smiled Beads quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Thomas or refer to Mrs. Thomas . 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:
Trauma and Faith Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

I work every day now to erase [the] language of ruin, to destroy it and replace it with language of my own. With konona (rape, ruin), you’re told, there is no antidote, no cleansing agent. […] You’re polluted, you’re worthless—that’s it.

My body is destroyed and my body is sacred. I will not live in that story of ruin and shame.

Related Characters: Clemantine Wamariya (speaker), Mrs. Thomas , Mrs. Kline
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Girl Who Smiled Beads LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Girl Who Smiled Beads PDF

Mrs. Thomas Quotes in The Girl Who Smiled Beads

The The Girl Who Smiled Beads quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Thomas or refer to Mrs. Thomas . 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:
Trauma and Faith Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

I work every day now to erase [the] language of ruin, to destroy it and replace it with language of my own. With konona (rape, ruin), you’re told, there is no antidote, no cleansing agent. […] You’re polluted, you’re worthless—that’s it.

My body is destroyed and my body is sacred. I will not live in that story of ruin and shame.

Related Characters: Clemantine Wamariya (speaker), Mrs. Thomas , Mrs. Kline
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis: