This Is How It Always Is

This Is How It Always Is

by

Laurie Frankel

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Jane Doe Character Analysis

A transgender woman who is beaten and shot by Chad and a group of his fraternity brothers at the local university. Rosie is on shift in the emergency room when Jane Doe is brought in, and while it isn’t explicitly stated, Frankel implies that Jane Doe dies from her injuries. After treating Jane Doe, Rosie decides that their town isn’t safe for Poppy and moves her family to Seattle, a city Rosie thinks is more diverse, inclusive, and open-minded. Jane Doe represents the extreme violence and hate the transgender community faces in American society.

Jane Doe Quotes in This Is How It Always Is

The This Is How It Always Is quotes below are all either spoken by Jane Doe or refer to Jane Doe. 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:
Gender and Binaries  Theme Icon
).
Part I: Shove Quotes

The instant after that Chad’s hand recoiled and then all of him. He stumbled up and back and away. His look in that moment wasn’t anger. It was pain. He was hurt. That she’d lied? That she’d tricked him? That he’d liked someone—something—as disgusting as she was? Maybe he was hurt that he’d lost her. Maybe he didn’t have to. She reached out to explain. The words on her lips were, “I’m…” What? I’m sorry? I’m Jane? I’m not what you think?

But she didn’t get them out. Whereas every moment leading up to this one this night stood crystalline and perfect, what happened next was a blur. He hit her across the mouth. He hit her face. He called out and lights went on in the house and guys came, guys arrived, one after another. They laughed. They yelled. They spit. They pushed her to the ground. They kicked her. She struggled. She fought back. She was strong. She had a single moment—just one—where she thought: I’m as strong as you are. One of them, maybe, but all of them together, no. Still, they must have been scared of her because feet turned to fists, and then someone pulled the knife out of the spent watermelon.

Related Characters: Claude/Poppy, Rosie, Chad, Jane Doe
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:

Later, when the whole story came out, or as much of it as could be pieced together, it turned out it was Chad who'd gotten the gun, that having kicked off what quickly got out of control, he couldn't get his fraternity brothers off Jane Doe. He screamed and pulled at the backs of their shirts and tried to push them off her and away, but they wouldn't listen anymore, couldn't listen anymore, and so he'd gone into the house and into the room of a brother he knew kept a handgun in his nightstand. He'd meant to fire it into the air or something to get everyone's attention, but he missed. It was his first time with a gun. An inch to the left, and it would have been over instantly. He’d very nearly killed Jane Doe. He'd very nearly killed her anyway. He'd also very nearly saved her life. But not quite.

Related Characters: Claude/Poppy, Rosie, Chad, Jane Doe
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:
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This Is How It Always Is PDF

Jane Doe Quotes in This Is How It Always Is

The This Is How It Always Is quotes below are all either spoken by Jane Doe or refer to Jane Doe. 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:
Gender and Binaries  Theme Icon
).
Part I: Shove Quotes

The instant after that Chad’s hand recoiled and then all of him. He stumbled up and back and away. His look in that moment wasn’t anger. It was pain. He was hurt. That she’d lied? That she’d tricked him? That he’d liked someone—something—as disgusting as she was? Maybe he was hurt that he’d lost her. Maybe he didn’t have to. She reached out to explain. The words on her lips were, “I’m…” What? I’m sorry? I’m Jane? I’m not what you think?

But she didn’t get them out. Whereas every moment leading up to this one this night stood crystalline and perfect, what happened next was a blur. He hit her across the mouth. He hit her face. He called out and lights went on in the house and guys came, guys arrived, one after another. They laughed. They yelled. They spit. They pushed her to the ground. They kicked her. She struggled. She fought back. She was strong. She had a single moment—just one—where she thought: I’m as strong as you are. One of them, maybe, but all of them together, no. Still, they must have been scared of her because feet turned to fists, and then someone pulled the knife out of the spent watermelon.

Related Characters: Claude/Poppy, Rosie, Chad, Jane Doe
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:

Later, when the whole story came out, or as much of it as could be pieced together, it turned out it was Chad who'd gotten the gun, that having kicked off what quickly got out of control, he couldn't get his fraternity brothers off Jane Doe. He screamed and pulled at the backs of their shirts and tried to push them off her and away, but they wouldn't listen anymore, couldn't listen anymore, and so he'd gone into the house and into the room of a brother he knew kept a handgun in his nightstand. He'd meant to fire it into the air or something to get everyone's attention, but he missed. It was his first time with a gun. An inch to the left, and it would have been over instantly. He’d very nearly killed Jane Doe. He'd very nearly killed her anyway. He'd also very nearly saved her life. But not quite.

Related Characters: Claude/Poppy, Rosie, Chad, Jane Doe
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis: