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Mrs. Wheatley
Jolene is Beth’s close friend, whom she meets at Methuen orphanage. Jolene is African American and is 12 when the novel begins. She is protective of eight-year-old Beth, helping Beth with her addiction to the tranquilizers at the school and helping her improve in gym so that she’s not afraid of sports like volleyball. Jolene also teaches Beth about menstruation and male genitalia, though at one point she touches Beth sexually without her consent, leading to a temporary break in their friendship. Jolene also becomes jealous when Beth is adopted, leading her to steal Beth’s chess book out of spite. Later, Jolene and Beth reconnect when Beth is struggling with her addiction. Though she was never adopted, Jolene got a scholarship for volleyball, got a bachelor’s degree, and is getting an M.S. in political science at Kentucky State University. She plans to work at a law firm in Atlanta after graduating and hopes to work in government. After reconnecting, Jolene helps Beth recover from her addiction and get into mental and physical shape again. Jolene works out with Beth, helps her clean up the house, and teaches Beth how to improve her diet. Only with Jolene’s support is Beth able to rebound from weeks of heavy drinking and ultimately go on to defeat Vasily Borgov in Moscow, affirming the importance of friendship and mentorship to Beth’s success.
Jolene DeWitt Quotes in The Queen’s Gambit
The The Queen’s Gambit quotes below are all either spoken by Jolene DeWitt or refer to Jolene DeWitt. 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
Beth tried it, awkwardly at first. Jolene showed her again, laughing. Beth tried a few more times and did it better. Then Jolene got the ball and had Beth catch it with her fingertips. After a few times it got to be easy.
“You work on that now, hear?” Jolene said and ran off to the shower.
Beth worked on it over the next week, and after that she did not mind volleyball at all. She did not become good at it, but it wasn’t something she was afraid of anymore.
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When Beth first arrives at Methuen, she struggles to adjust to her new environment. Here, this quote demonstrates the value of mentorship for Beth, especially at a young age. Though it deals specifically with volleyball, it has parallels with Beth’s later experiences in chess and when struggling with addiction. This passage demonstrates that Beth’s uncertainty or her weakness in a skill can undermine her ability to face her fears or triumph in it. However, Beth is able to improve in volleyball, both with Jolene’s help and disciplined practice. Perhaps more importantly, Beth is able to improve her outlook about playing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. V
Chapter 3 Quotes
Lying in bed, Beth could hear the distant sound of Mrs. Wheatley coughing and later she heard her bare feet padding down the hallway to the bathroom. But she didn’t mind. Her own door was closed and locked. No one could push it open and let the light fall on her face. Mrs. Wheatley was alone in her own room, and there would be no sounds of talking or quarreling—only music and low synthetic voices from the television set. It would be wonderful to have Jolene there, but then she wouldn’t have the room to herself, wouldn’t be able to lie alone in this huge bed, stretched out in the middle of it, having the cool sheets and now the silence to herself.
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On Beth’s first night in the Wheatleys’ home, she is thrilled to discover that she will have her own room there. This change symbolizes the broader transition that Beth is undergoing from the orphanage to the Wheatley home, and how that reflects her coming of age as well. Beth’s new room gives her greater control over her life. Before, she was constantly monitored by the staff and shared a room with other people, to the point where her sleeping situation made her feel “trapped,” as she described in an earlier chapter. Even as a small child, Beth often heard her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenet
Chapter 13 Quotes
Beth thought about it. There were bottles of red wine and white in the cabinet behind her, and for a moment she became impatient for Jolene to leave so that she could get one out and twist the cork off and pour herself a full glass. She could feel the sensation of it at the back of her throat.
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“You’ve got to get your ass moving, girl,” Jolene said. “You got to quit sitting in your own funk.”
“Okay,” Beth said. “I’ll be there.”
When Jolene left, Beth had one glass of wine but not a second. She opened up all the windows in the house and drank the wine out in the backyard, with the moon, nearly full, directly above the little shed at the back. There was a cool breeze. She took a long time over the drink, letting the breeze blow into the kitchen window, fluttering the curtains, blowing through the kitchen and living room, clearing out the air inside.
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When Beth reconnects with Jolene, they return to Beth’s home and Jolene, seeing the evidence of Beth’s addiction, tells Beth that she needs to get moving and snap out of her spiral. In calling Jolene at all and bringing her back to her home, Beth recognizes that she needs help in order to overcome her addiction. This shows that friends and mentors can help in more ways than just material knowledge. Without Jolene’s help and motivation, Beth would simply relinquish herself to her addiction—even when Jolene is there, all she can do is think about drinking again. In this way, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui
Chapter 14 Quotes
They went on together, exploring possibilities, following out line after line, for almost an hour. Benny was amazing. He had worked out everything; she began to see ways of crowding Borgov, finessing Borgov, deceiving him, tying up his pieces, forcing him to compromise and retreat.
Finally she looked at her watch and said, “Benny, it’s nine-fifteen here.”
“Okay,” he said. “Go beat him.”
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When Beth’s final match with Borgov is adjourned, she receives a surprise call from Benny, who helps Beth work through different possible strategies to use against Borgov. In this moment, Beth finally appreciates the true value of having friends and mentors along the way to help her. For so long, she pushed Benny and others away because she thought she had little left to learn from them. But now, the book emphasizes that mentors and friends can provide support not just in providing material knowledge, but simply in being a support network. Jolene did the same for Beth—Jolene didn’t have Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae
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Jolene DeWitt Character Timeline in The Queen’s Gambit
The timeline below shows where the character Jolene DeWitt appears in The Queen’s Gambit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...children the pills as they line up. It is in this line that she meets Jolene, a tall, 12-year-old Black girl. Jolene asks if Beth is a bastard and if her...
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...because Beth is gawky, to the point where she even injures her hand playing volleyball. Jolene is the best player by far, and Jolene shows her how to hold her hands....
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In the middle of the night, Jolene comes over and sits on Beth’s bed, saying that she wants to try something fun....
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...around in her mind like she’s playing a match. She tries not to think about Jolene, with whom she’s not spoken in over a week. On one of her Sunday visits...
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...like a ballet, dancing with the pieces in their endless combinations. Later in the hall, Jolene insults Beth again, and Beth calls her a slur, which stuns Jolene.
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...and tries to rub herself. She wonders if she’s too young for it to feel good—Jolene is four years older than her. Soon after, Beth asks Jolene what a “cocksucker” is....
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Chapter 2
The next day, while changing after gym, Jolene asks Beth about playing chess at the high school—she heard about it from Fergussen. Beth...
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...and she tries to make conversation. Beth thinks about how nervous she is—before she left, Jolene gave her three green pills, but she hadn’t had the chance to take them. Beth...
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At dinner, Jolene tries to ask about Beth’s time at the high school, but she asks if Jolene...
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That Christmas, two girls are adopted—both pretty, Beth thinks. Both white, Jolene says. Then, one day, Fergussen comes in and tells Beth that she’s moving to the...
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Chapter 3
As Beth packs, she can’t find Modern Chess Openings. She asks if Jolene has seen the book, but Jolene says that she hasn’t. Jolene asks if she’s leaving,...
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...unpacks into a closet that is bigger than her mother’s had been. She wishes that Jolene were there to share it with her, but she knew that the Wheatleys would never...
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...of her for her smarts, and she usually walks alone in the hallways. Beth misses Jolene dearly.
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Chapter 4
...returns to the bathroom and realizes that she has begun to menstruate. She thinks of Jolene—if Jolene hadn’t warned her about this, she would not have known what was happening or...
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Chapter 13
Beth searches in every directory she can for Jolene. She takes tranquilizers in order to stop herself from drinking, even though she knows that...
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On the phone with Jolene, Beth nearly cries in relief at hearing her friend. Jolene has been keeping up with...
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Beth and Jolene talk about Methuen for a while, and Beth starts to feel more and more comfortable...
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Beth and Jolene then talk about the tranquilizers they used to get, and Beth admits that she still...
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Jolene gives Beth advice, telling her to come over to the university gym the next day...
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...previous evening from a heart attack. Beth is surprised, and she immediately makes plans with Jolene to attend his funeral and to visit Methuen. As they drive to the orphanage, they...
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Beth asks about what Jolene will do when she graduates; Jolene replies that she has a job offer from a...
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Beth and Jolene pull into Methuen, and Beth relives several memories: stealing the jar of pills, playing chess...
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Beth and Jolene don’t go inside; instead, they go to a motel before attending the funeral the next...
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Jolene stays in the car while Beth walks into the orphanage and into the basement. Beth...
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