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Mrs. Owens
The ghost Mr. Owens assumes the role of Bod’s adoptive father when his wife, Mrs. Owens, insists it’s their duty to protect him. In his life (which ended several hundred years before the novel begins), Mr. Owens was the head of the local cabinetry guild. This made Mr. Owens a respected member of his living community and means that all the ghosts still respect him in death. Thus, Mr. Owens’s willingness to take baby Bod carries significant weight as the ghosts debate whether to allow Bod to stay in the graveyard. Despite being Bod’s adoptive father, Mr. Owens doesn’t figure prominently in Bod’s day-to-day life. He encourages Bod to appreciate that he’s getting an education at all (though to Bod, his education seems unsatisfactory) and takes on the responsibility of punishing Bod when Bod misbehaves. Mr. Owens cares deeply for his son but isn’t always able to voice his affection. Thus, his goodbye to Bod is stilted and formal.
Mr. Owens Quotes in The Graveyard Book
The The Graveyard Book quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Owens or refer to Mr. Owens. 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 1 Quotes
Mrs. Owens bent down to the baby and extended her arms. “Come now,” she said, warmly. “Come to Mama.”
To the man Jack, walking through the graveyard towards them on a path, his knife already in his hand, it seemed as if a swirl of mist had curled around the child, in the moonlight, and that the boy was no longer there: just damp mist and moonlight and swaying grass.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Mr. Owens Character Timeline in The Graveyard Book
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Owens appears in The Graveyard Book. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...woman” who’s just misty shadow. The woman approaches the graveyard’s locked gates and calls for Mr. Owens , her husband. Mr. Owens stares at the baby at Mrs. Owens’s feet, who reaches...
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Even though he’s a ghost himself and has been dead for several hundred years, Mr. Owens ’s mouth drops open when he sees a ghost appear. This ghost isn’t a normal...
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Josiah Worthington insists this is ridiculous. Mr. Owens —who, in life, made furniture for Josiah Worthington and still admires the man—haltingly says that...
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Chapter 3
...hand and watches him leave. Then, Bod goes to his parents to complain about Silas. Mr. Owens and Mrs. Owens cheerfully assure Bod that Silas will be back to bring Bod food,...
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Chapter 4
...everything that happened to him. When Bod asks if he’s in trouble, Silas says that Mr. Owens and Mrs. Owens will punish Bod. He then disappears to dispose of the card. Bod...
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...bottom stinging—the Owenses died long before it was decided that parents shouldn’t beat children, so Mr. Owens spanked Bod as his punishment. Bod slips into the Potter’s Field, but Liza doesn’t answer...
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Chapter 6
...Bod came from. Bod’s heart pounds. Silas says that Bod is obviously different—Mrs. Owens and Mr. Owens took Bod in and Silas is his guardian, even though Bod is alive. Before he...
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Chapter 7
...“The Old Country” after three weeks—leaving Bod without a guardian who can leave the graveyard. Mr. Owens , Mrs. Owens, and Josiah Worthington are upset about this. Mrs. Owens believes that Silas...
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...she seldom shows herself to him and is rude when she does appear. According to Mr. Owens , this is just something women do. He says that he was friends with a...
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...the way. Once Scarlett is inside the hill, Bod turns to his friends and family. Mr. Owens tells Bod where the men are and assures Bod he can do this without Silas...
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Chapter 8
...parents’ tomb and, as he gets close, he notices that his parents look oddly formal. Mr. Owens greets Bod and says that he and Mrs. Owens couldn’t have asked for a better...
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