The Goldfinch

by

Donna Tartt

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Goldfinch makes teaching easy.

Mrs. Barbour Character Analysis

Mrs. Barbour is the mother of Andy, Platt, Kitsey, and Toddy, and she takes Theo in after Audrey is killed in the terrorist attack at the Met. She is very wealthy and elegant and can seem cold, but she is actually extremely kind. Before Mr. Barbour and Andy die, she tends to be rather formal and hide any difficult realities from the world. However, after their deaths she no longer cares about putting up a good appearance. She becomes extremely weak and weary, all but losing her interest in living. However, after Theo comes back into her life, she is revitalized and experiences joy for the first time since her husband and son’s deaths. She eventually tells Theo that she always considered him her son, even when he was a little boy.

Mrs. Barbour Quotes in The Goldfinch

The The Goldfinch quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Barbour or refer to Mrs. Barbour. 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:
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
).
Part 4, Chapter 10 Quotes

I’m so glad you’re going to be an official part of the family, that we’re going to make it legal now, because—oh, I suppose I shouldn’t say this, I hope you don’t mind if I speak from the heart for a moment, but I always did think of you as one of my very own, did you know that? Even when you were a little boy.

Related Characters: Mrs. Barbour (speaker), Theo Decker
Page Number: 513
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Goldfinch PDF

Mrs. Barbour Quotes in The Goldfinch

The The Goldfinch quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Barbour or refer to Mrs. Barbour. 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:
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
).
Part 4, Chapter 10 Quotes

I’m so glad you’re going to be an official part of the family, that we’re going to make it legal now, because—oh, I suppose I shouldn’t say this, I hope you don’t mind if I speak from the heart for a moment, but I always did think of you as one of my very own, did you know that? Even when you were a little boy.

Related Characters: Mrs. Barbour (speaker), Theo Decker
Page Number: 513
Explanation and Analysis: