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Charlie Bae
Patricia is Natasha's mother. She is very close to both of her children, Natasha and Peter, and over the last nine years that she's lived in New York, she’s become increasingly disillusioned with her husband, Samuel. While she wanted to support him and see his acting dreams come true (and by extension, see his dreams finance her dreams to own a house), she eventually gave up on his dreams of being an actor. For the last few years, she's singlehandedly supported her family. She's constantly tired and overworked, and Natasha notes that Patricia's greatest fear is getting her hopes up and having them dashed. She encourages Natasha to accept their order for voluntary removal, and the novel implies that Patricia believes there will be more and better opportunities for her family back in Jamaica. Five years after the Kingsley family returns to Jamaica, Patricia dies of an unnamed disease.
Patricia Kingsley Quotes in The Sun is Also a Star
The The Sun is Also a Star quotes below are all either spoken by Patricia Kingsley or refer to Patricia Kingsley. 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 47 Quotes
When Natasha decides to wear hers in an Afro, it's not because she's aware of all this history. She does it despite Patricia Kingsley's assertions that Afros make women look militant and unprofessional. Those assertions are rooted in fear—fear that her daughter will be harmed by a society that still so often fears blackness.
Related Characters:
Natasha Kingsley, Patricia Kingsley
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Page Number and Citation:
130
Explanation and Analysis:
The narrator explains both the history of African American hairstyles and the history of Natasha's personal choices regarding her hair. This makes it clear to the reader that even though Natasha isn't aware of the hundreds of years of history informing how black hair is perceived, she's not exempt from the history. More importantly, much of history devalues Natasha's heritage to the point of fear, illustrating another way that cultural connections influence how different cultures think about themselves and how they present themselves to others. Patricia's fears are based in what she's learned over the course of her own life that has shown her that natural black hair can be dangerous and a barrier to forming connections with others, showing the reader again that connections are not always positive.
Chapter 83 Quotes
Yes, she'd been frustrated with him for years, but that one moment showed us all how far apart they really were now. Even Peter, who sides with my mother in all things, flinched a little.
Still. You couldn't fault her. Not really. My father had been dreaming his life away for years. He lived in those plays instead of the real world. He still does. My mother didn't have time for dreaming anymore.
Neither do I.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 111 Quotes
Sometimes I think my mom's worst fear is being disappointed. She combats this by trying her hardest never to get her hopes up, and urging everyone else to do the same.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Patricia Kingsley Character Timeline in The Sun is Also a Star
The timeline below shows where the character Patricia Kingsley appears in The Sun is Also a Star. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Natasha's mom, Patricia, tells her that it's time to give up. Her dad, Samuel, just frowns and says...
(full context)
Natasha believes Patricia is right, but she grabs her headphones and her physics textbook anyway. Peter reminds her...
(full context)
Chapter 12
...a reason specifically when things are bad but not as bad as they could be. Patricia likes to say it, but she hasn't said it about the deportation. Samuel has been...
(full context)
Chapter 15
...as an actor on Broadway and then send for his family. Natasha remembers listening to Patricia call him in America, and after a year, Samuel's voice changed. He didn't sound happy,...
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After two years, Natasha and Patricia flew to America. Natasha didn't know what it meant to be undocumented: she'd never get...
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Chapter 20
...why they're not in school and thinks that Rob doesn't even like music. She hears Patricia's voice saying that everything happens for a reason, and even though she doesn't believe it,...
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Chapter 46
...stores. The old posters show professional black women with chemically treated hairstyles, and Natasha thinks Patricia thinks treated hair is better. She wasn't happy when Natasha decided to wear an Afro,...
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Chapter 47
...didn't make that decision because she knew the history, and she did it even when Patricia said that Afros make women look unprofessional. Patricia's arguments are rooted in a fear that...
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Chapter 57
...questions, but agrees to give thumbs up or thumbs down for each parent. She gives Patricia a thumbs up and Samuel a thumbs down.
(full context)
Chapter 58
...their children, but Natasha knows that it just isn't true. She knows for sure that Patricia loves her, but she heard her father say that she is his greatest regret.
(full context)
Chapter 59
Samuel was certain that he was destined to be famous. When he met Patricia, he figured that she was part of God's plan too. He met her on a...
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Chapter 80
...beliefs, the idea of fate persists. The narrator wonders if it makes tragedy more bearable. Patricia believes that there's comfort in knowing that things are out of her hands, but Natasha...
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Chapter 83
...explains that she and Samuel used to be inseparably close. They were the dreamers, while Patricia and Peter were the "non-dreamers." Natasha listened to her dad talk long after her mom...
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...began spending all his time in the bedroom, reading and reciting long and dramatic monologues. Patricia took extra shifts to make ends meet, and Natasha began working during the summers. Two...
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Chapter 87
Samuel had to buy three tickets for Natasha, Peter, and Patricia to come to the play. He bought Chinese takeout, and they ate at the kitchen...
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Patricia called Samuel foolish and then walked to the bathroom and slammed the door. Later, she...
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Chapter 90
The chapter uses a dramatic script to recount a conversation between Samuel and Patricia. They're in their bedroom, and Natasha is hiding outside the door, listening. Patricia sits on...
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Samuel snaps. He says he's tired of hearing about Patricia's dreams instead of his own. He says that if it weren't for Patricia, Natasha, and...
(full context)
Chapter 111
Natasha pulls out her phone and texts Patricia that she's coming home soon. Patricia is upset, as she has been trying to reach...
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Chapter 112
...the papers praised his performance. Now, that play is sending him back to Jamaica. When Patricia was upset that he told the cop everything, Samuel insisted he was just drunk, but...
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Chapter 122
...strategies for dealing with her family. When she opens the door, Peter is playing reggae. Patricia yells at Peter to turn off the music, and it takes her a second to...
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Chapter 123
Natasha introduces Daniel as a friend, and Patricia eyes him. Daniel looks around the living room and realizes that it's Natasha's bedroom as...
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Chapter 124
Natasha explains that she always lets it go when Patricia asks, but the combination of Daniel and Samuel's forced Jamaican accent makes her angry. She...
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...they get to Jamaica, he has to actually try to be an actor and treat Patricia better. By now everyone is crying. Natasha's parents pull Peter into a hug and motion...
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Chapter 127-128
Patricia holds Natasha's hand as the plane takes off, comforting her. Natasha looks at the stars,...
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Chapter 129
Five years later, Patricia gets sick and dies. Natasha considers calling Daniel, but thinks it's been too long. Peter...
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