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Miles Tuck
Jesse is Angus and Mae's younger son. He's 17 and Winnie is immediately attracted to him when she comes across him drinking from the stream in her family's wood. Of all the Tucks, Jesse seems the most relieved to finally share the secret with Winnie. After he, Miles, and Mae tell Winnie their story, he suggests that life should be enjoyed and remarks that he's seen all sorts of things and, because he's immortal, will get to see much more. He behaves as though he reciprocates Winnie's feelings; he shows off for her and gives her a small flask of the brook's water so that when Winnie is 17, she can drink it and join him in enjoying life eternally. He also suggests that he'd like to get married. Mae, however, explains that because of Jesse's youth, he's not able to settle down. He moves around constantly and works all manner of jobs, from bartending to manual labor. Jesse is, according to his parents, very sad when Winnie never drinks the water and joins him.
Jesse Tuck Quotes in Tuck Everlasting
The Tuck Everlasting quotes below are all either spoken by Jesse Tuck or refer to Jesse Tuck. 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 Six Quotes
Winnie had often been haunted by visions of what it would be like to be kidnapped. But none of her visions had been like this, with her kidnappers just as alarmed as she was herself. She had always pictured a troupe of burly men with long black moustaches who would tumble her into a blanket and bear her off like a sack of potatoes while she pleaded for mercy. But, instead, it was they, Mae Tuck and Miles and Jesse, who were pleading.
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As Winnie bounces along on the Tucks' horse when they kidnap her, she calmly thinks that the reality of being kidnapped is nothing like she imagined. First, it's important to note that Winnie is calm in this situation and she's able to observe what's going on around her and recognize that this is different from what she expected. Though this does speak to her fear--Winnie is in shock at this point--it also speaks to her maturity and her ability to think rationally about things that upend her expectations. Then, Winnie's ability to recognize that the Tucks are just as afraid 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 necessit
Chapter Eight Quotes
"Just think of all the things we've seen in the world! All the things we're going to see!"
"That kind of talk'll make her want to rush back and drink a gallon of the stuff," warned Miles. "There's a whole lot more to it than Jesse Tuck's good times, you know."
"Oh, stuff," said Jesse with a shrug. "We might as well enjoy it, long as we can't change it. You don't have to be such a parson all the time."
"I'm not being a parson," said Miles. "I just think you ought to take it more serious."
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After the Tucks tell Winnie their story of becoming immortal, Jesse and Miles argue about whether or not their fate is fantastic or something that should be taken a bit more seriously. For Jesse, who's eternally 17, life is something that exists to be enjoyed. He feels this way, however, exactly because is trapped at the maturity level of a 17-year-old boy who, naturally and understandably, thinks mostly of himself and the fact that the world contains a variety of wonders for his taking. Miles, on the other hand, is 22, and the extra five years he has on Jesse 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 tempo
But she felt there was nothing to be afraid of, not really. For they seemed gentle. Gentle and--in a strange way--childlike. They made her feel old. And the way they spoke to her, the way they looked at her, made her feel special. Important. It was a warm, spreading feeling, entirely new. She liked it, and in spite of their story, she liked them, too--especially Jesse.
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After hearing the Tucks' story, Winnie reasons that she shouldn't be afraid of the Tucks and finds that she actually likes them. The feelings that Winnie notices are feelings of friendship and trust, though she can't name them quite yet. This reminds the reader of how lonely Winnie has been up to this point; she's not really had any friends and definitely hasn't been around adults who treat her like a fellow adult. The fact that the Tucks do treat Winnie as much like an adult as like a child suggests that even if Winnie's not aware of her liminal 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.
Closing the gate on her oldest fears as she had closed the gate of her own fenced yard, she discovered the wings she'd always wished she had. And all at once she was elated. Where were the terrors she'd been told she should expect? She could not recognize them anywhere. The sweet earth opened out its wide four corners to her like the petals of a flower ready to be picked, and it shimmered with light and possibility till she was dizzy with it. Her mother's voice, the feel of home, receded for the moment, and her thoughts turned forward. Why, she, too, might live forever in this remarkable world she was only just discovering!
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After agreeing to go to the Tucks' homestead with them, Winnie feels suddenly as though her life is opening up before her. First, when the narrator suggests that Winnie can shut out her fears in the same way that she shut the gate of her family's fence, it shows that the line between childhood (as represented by the yard inside the fence) and adulthood (as represented by everything outside the fence) is very much a permeable barrier that Winnie can choose to cross at will. Further, the fact that she's closing away her fears specifically speaks to the tension between 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 possi
Chapter Ten Quotes
"Jesse, now, he don't ever seem too settled in himself. Course, he's young." She stopped and smiled. "That sounds funny, don't it? Still, it's true, just the same."
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While Mae gives Winnie a tour of her small house, she explains what Miles and Jesse do with themselves and suggests that Jesse, because of his youth, isn't able to settle. This reminds the reader that though Jesse is actually 104 years old, his maturity doesn't reflect the fact that he's been alive for more than a century. In the novel's understanding of what it means to be immortal and stop aging, a person stops developing mentally and emotionally wherever they are when they drink the water--an old and wise person would never become even wiser, while a toddler would 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
Chapter Twenty-Two Quotes
"I mean, what'll they say to you after, when they find out?"
"I don't know," said Winnie, "but it doesn't matter. Tell your father I want to help. I have to help. If it wasn't for me, there wouldn't have been any trouble in the first place."
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When Jesse comes to visit Winnie at the fence, Winnie asks to be included in the plot to break Mae out of jail and insists that she's willing to accept the consequences of her actions. This is notable in that Winnie now shows that she understands that all of her actions will indeed have consequences. While she grasps the more obvious fact that committing a crime like breaking a murderer out of jail is something she'll have to answer for, she also now recognizes that even choices that seem innocuous, like deciding to leave her yard and walk in the 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 volupt
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Jesse Tuck Character Timeline in Tuck Everlasting
The timeline below shows where the character Jesse Tuck appears in Tuck Everlasting. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...are very connected. First, Mae Tuck left for Treegap to meet her sons, Miles and Jesse. Winnie Foster, whose parents own Treegap wood, decided to think about running away, and a...
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Chapter Two
...to things by now. She announces that she's going to ride to Treegap to meet Jesse and Miles and when Angus expresses concern, she insists that nobody will remember her since...
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...as she's looked the exact same way for the last 87 years. Angus, Miles, and Jesse have too.
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Chapter Five
...she gets close enough to see, however, her mouth drops open. A handsome young man (Jesse) sits against a huge ash tree, gazing up at the branches. He carefully moves a...
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Sternly, Jesse asks Winnie what she's doing in the wood. Winnie insists that the wood belongs to...
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Winnie asks if the water is good to drink, but very seriously and quickly, Jesse says the water is dirty. He begins to put the pebbles back as Winnie insists...
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Chapter Six
Winnie has thought often about being kidnapped, but this is nothing like what she imagined. Jesse and Miles lift her, put her on the horse, and run on either side of...
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...people and will bring her back home tomorrow, but this makes Winnie wail even louder. Jesse and Miles remark that this is awful, and Mae says that she never thought that...
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...thing can't possibly be too bad. She smiles and hands it back to Mae. Both Jesse and Miles sit down, and Jesse says that they need Winnie's help.
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Chapter Seven
What Mae, Jesse, and Miles tell Winnie is the strangest thing she's ever heard. They explain that 87...
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Jesse explains that they all went crazy for a while, excited that they'd live forever, but...
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Chapter Eight
...talk to Winnie also makes her feel very important and special, and she really likes Jesse.
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With a whoop of joy, Jesse asks Mae for breakfast. They walk and ride along, eating bread and cheese. Jesse swings...
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Chapter Nine
...in the afternoon, Mae says that they're almost there. They reach some dark pines and Jesse and Miles whoop and run through the trees. Mae and Winnie follow slowly as the...
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Chapter Ten
...soot in the fireplace. There's a bedroom with a rickety bed and a loft where Jesse and Miles sleep when they're home.
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In the loft, Mae explains that Jesse and Miles aren't home much. Winnie asks what they do when they're gone, and Mae...
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...Mae this. Mae says that she and Angus have each other, though she notes that Jesse and Miles struggle. Every ten years, they meet at the spring and come home together...
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Chapter Eleven
...to cheer Winnie up, Miles offers to take Winnie out on the pond after supper. Jesse insists that he'll take Winnie, but Angus sternly says that he'll take Winnie out himself...
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Chapter Fourteen
As Mae makes the sofa into a bed for Winnie, Angus and Jesse discuss the possible motive of the horse thief. Angus has a bad feeling about it...
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Not long after Angus leaves, Jesse creeps down the loft stairs and kneels beside the sofa. Wide-eyed, he says that Winnie...
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Chapter Seventeen
...weeks. Winnie starts to blush when she hears steps on the stairs and thinks that Jesse is coming, but it's Miles. He smiles and invites her to help him catch fish...
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Chapter Eighteen
...didn't catch anything they wanted to keep. Mae makes flapjacks and is serving them when Jesse comes down from the loft. He's perturbed that there's no fish and good-naturedly insults Miles's...
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...here. She thinks about drinking from the spring when she's 17 as she looks at Jesse, then Miles, and then the sad look on Angus's face. Then, someone knocks at the...
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Chapter Nineteen
...pay them to perform deadly tasks to demonstrate the water's efficacy. In a dull voice, Jesse says that the man wants them to be freaks.
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...the money, the Tucks could live "like people again, instead of pigs." At this, Angus, Jesse, and Miles shout at the man, who grabs Winnie and roughly shoves her out the...
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Chapter Twenty
...Mae and put her in jail, and he needs to take Winnie home. Miles and Jesse promise Mae that they'll get her out, but the constable explains that if the man...
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Chapter Twenty-Two
Winnie sits down and closes her eyes. A few minutes later, Jesse interrupts her reverie. Winnie grabs his hand through the fence and asks if they have...
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...take her place in the jail cell, make herself look large, and fool the constable. Jesse says it might work and asks what Winnie's family will say. Winnie says that it...
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Chapter Twenty-Three
...lemonade upstairs and sits in her rocking chair, after hiding the bottle of water from Jesse. Winnie rocks in time to the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway. After...
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...her again. Around 11 o'clock, Winnie lies down and thinks of Angus, Mae, Miles, and Jesse. She thinks that they seem helpless and too trusting, and they need her help. She...
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Chapter Twenty-Four
...wanted to, she could sneak out all the time. This makes her feel even guiltier. Jesse is waiting for her at the gate and they run together down to the jailhouse...
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...in a heap on the ground. It begins to rain as Mae, Angus, Miles, and Jesse kiss Winnie. Jesse tells her to remember as he hugs her tight. Then, Miles boosts...
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Chapter Twenty-Five
...off the dog, and races to her room. Winnie grabs the bottle of water that Jesse gave her and carefully pours it over the toad. She holds it for a long...
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Epilogue
As Mae and Angus leave town, they discuss that Winnie died and feel sorry for Jesse, even though he knew long ago that Winnie wasn’t coming. They say that there's no...
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