Ruby Character Analysis in The Immortalists

Ruby is Klara and Raj’s daughter. When Ruby is born, Klara and Raj decide to go on the road and then settle in Vegas, hoping that they can make enough money to give Ruby a more stable life. Ruby is still a baby when Klara dies, and when Ruby is a preteen, Raj begins to teach her Klara’s act. Ruby and Raj subsequently book the main act at The Mirage hotel and become very successful—Ruby is the youngest millionaire in Las Vegas. Ruby enjoys reconnecting with Daniel and Gertie over Thanksgiving, particularly when she and Daniel look at old photos of the family together. Ruby also aspires to be a doctor—like Simon, she feels the burden of keeping up her mother’s legacy and instead wants to be her own person.

Ruby Quotes in The Immortalists

The The Immortalists quotes below are all either spoken by Ruby or refer to Ruby. 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:

He could not bear to contemplate his return to work on Monday, and what might happen if he holds his ground when it comes to the waivers. Days earlier, he submitted a request to review his case with the Local Area Defense Counsel, a military attorney who provides representation for accused service members. He knows that Mira is right—it’s best to be aware of what options he has to defend himself—but the request alone was humiliating. Without a job, who would he be? Someone who sat on a bath mat with his back against the toilet, reading about his brother-in-law’s solarium, he thought—an image terrible enough to force him to bed, so that he could fall asleep and stop seeing it.

Related Characters: Ruby, Raj Chamar, Mira, Daniel Gold

Page Number and Citation: 218

Explanation and Analysis:

Ruby Character Timeline in The Immortalists

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

...the baby is a girl. She and Raj name the baby Rubina and call her Ruby. (full context)

...the Castro and the ballet. Daniel tells Klara about his new girlfriend, Mira. Gertie adores Ruby, and Varya has lots of advice. She and Gertie are surprised to find that Raj... (full context)

In October, Klara continues to hear Simon knocking. Ruby is startled by the knocks, but Raj doesn’t hear them and gets frustrated at Klara’s... (full context)

...York. Klara thinks the same now—that home isn’t a physical place, but instead it’s wherever Ruby and Raj are. (full context)

Magic, Religion, Dance, and Possibility Theme Icon

...while Raj is at pitch meetings, Klara pours vodka into her coffee and reads to Ruby. Before Raj comes home, she brushes her teeth to mask the smell. She no longer... (full context)

...Simon’s death, and counts. When the knocks come, they start to spell “ME—” but then Ruby wakes up, and Raj gets up to calm her. (full context)

...isn’t happy and wonders if they should get more stable jobs. She and Raj want Ruby to be able to have a house and neighbors and a dog if she wants.... (full context)

...night, Klara wakes in the middle of the night, hearing Raj’s voice. He is telling Ruby the stories of his father and family—the swamps, the shanties, and his experience being extremely... (full context)

...works with the production team to rig the Jaws of Life and stage Second Sight. Ruby is starting to speak, and Raj wants to rent an apartment and look at preschools.... (full context)

...feels Saul and Simon pulling her toward them, but at the same time she hears Ruby calling her. Raj bangs on the bathroom door, and when he enters he discovers that... (full context)

...death is an illusion. She thinks that even if she dies, she can communicate with Ruby—she can cross boundaries, as she always dreamed. (full context)

...night—New Year’s Eve—and the show won’t begin until 11:00 P.M. Before Klara leaves to drop Ruby off at daycare, Raj says he’s proud of Klara. He tells her he loves her,... (full context)

Klara drops off Ruby at daycare, kissing her and saying she’ll see her soon. Klara then rides the elevator... (full context)

...the overhead light fixture and stands on the table. She’s terrified when she thinks about Ruby in daycare, and she decides to wait until she hears a knock. Two minutes pass,... (full context)

At 2:00 a.m., Daniel visits Raj and Ruby’s website. They now perform together in Las Vegas, and as Daniel scans the site, he... (full context)

Raj and Ruby agree to come for Thanksgiving. When they arrive on the Tuesday night before the holiday,... (full context)

...at 10:00 a.m. The previous night had gone very well—a relaxed two-hour dinner with Raj, Ruby, Mira, Gertie, and Daniel. After dinner, Daniel stayed up and Googled Ruby and Raj, his... (full context)

Daniel gets up and sees that Raj and Ruby are already eating. He apologizes for his lateness. Raj says casually that they always get... (full context)

Mira changes the subject to Raj and Ruby’s work, and Raj says that she and Daniel are welcome to visit Vegas anytime—they perform... (full context)

Daniel, Mira, Gertie, Raj, and Ruby drive to the maritime museum and take a hike through a preserve. Daniel enjoys racing... (full context)

Daniel knocks on the office door and finds Ruby listening to music and reading. Daniel grabs the card, but before he leaves, Ruby asks... (full context)

Daniel returns to the office with the albums. As he shows Ruby the pictures, he recounts different memories of Klara, Varya, Simon, and Gertie. Daniel is shocked... (full context)

After Daniel leaves Ruby, he calls Eddie. He explains that he remembers Simon said he would die “young.” Daniel... (full context)

Ruby, who’s been working on a Sudoku puzzle, strikes up a conversation with Daniel. She tells... (full context)

At dinner, the family digs in. Ruby and Raj are leaving early the next morning, and Mira asks shyly for them to... (full context)

...oppress others. Gertie ends the conversation, and Daniel and Raj leave to take a walk. Ruby is almost in tears. (full context)

Raj and Ruby leave early in the morning. They barely speak to Daniel as they say goodbye. Daniel... (full context)

In the first week of July, Varya and Ruby visit Gertie. Soon Ruby will begin her senior year of college at UCLA. Gertie asks... (full context)

On the last night of Ruby’s visit, Ruby performs a magic show for the residents. While Ruby is setting up, Varya... (full context)

At 7:30, the magic show starts. The dining hall is teeming, and when Ruby enters, the stage transforms. Ruby has an easy grin, and her confidence never wavers even... (full context)

After the show, Ruby wheels Gertie back to her room. Varya knows that stopping aging is unrealistic, but still... (full context)

Ruby Character Analysis

Ruby Quotes in The Immortalists

Chapter 23 Quotes

Ruby Character Timeline in The Immortalists