White Spirit

by

Cate Kennedy

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on White Spirit makes teaching easy.

Mandy Character Analysis

Mandy is one of the two white artists working on the mural, along with her boyfriend Jake. While Mandy seems generally to be nice and hardworking, the story shows how such traits are not enough to overcome her ignorance about and lack of ability or will to connect with the community she is representing in the mural.

Mandy Quotes in White Spirit

The White Spirit quotes below are all either spoken by Mandy or refer to Mandy. 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:
Multiculturalism, Authenticity, and Appropriation Theme Icon
).
 White Spirit Quotes

The residents of this estate took a few surreptitious looks at this pair when they first arrived, and have chosen to stay out of their way since. We’ll have to invite some in specially, over the next couple days, for the photo documentation we need. Some casual shots of the artists chatting and interacting with residents, facilitating important interchange. Community ownership. An appreciation of process. It’s all there in the grant evaluation forms.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy, Jake, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural
Page Number: 171
Explanation and Analysis:

She gestures to the mural, where her partner’s painting in the figures of three women. They’re prominent, next to the four laughing Eritrean children who are posing with a basketball.

“Should that be a soccer ball?” I say, half to myself.

“Sorry?”

“Should those kids be holding a soccer ball instead? They’ve actually formed a whole team; they play on the oval on a Sunday afternoon. I think soccer’s more their thing.”

I might be wrong. They might be Somalis.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy (speaker), Jake, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural
Page Number: 172
Explanation and Analysis:

“They won’t graffiti it,” interjects Mandy, who’s listening. She’s walking along past each big smiling face, giving each eye a realistic twinkle. “Nobody will graffiti anything they feel a sense of ownership and inclusion about.”

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy (speaker), Jake, Pro-Guard Representative, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural, The Sealant and White Spirit
Page Number: 180
Explanation and Analysis:

I’ve never been here on the estate this late at night. As I splash the sealant on I listen to cars revving and residents shouting, doors slamming, a quick blooping siren as the police pull someone over, the thumping woofers of passing car stereos. And through it all, I hear a babel of voices; every language group we’re so proud of, calling and greeting, arguing and yelling, nearly two thousand people I couldn’t name and who have no use for me. Who glance at me, leaving in my car every afternoon, and look away again, busy with the demands of getting by.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy, Jake, The Other Residents
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:

“Such a positive message,” the minister is saying, “and I understand the community itself had a hand in creating it. Marvellous.”

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Minister (speaker), Mandy, Jake, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural
Page Number: 182
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire White Spirit LitChart as a printable PDF.
White Spirit PDF

Mandy Quotes in White Spirit

The White Spirit quotes below are all either spoken by Mandy or refer to Mandy. 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:
Multiculturalism, Authenticity, and Appropriation Theme Icon
).
 White Spirit Quotes

The residents of this estate took a few surreptitious looks at this pair when they first arrived, and have chosen to stay out of their way since. We’ll have to invite some in specially, over the next couple days, for the photo documentation we need. Some casual shots of the artists chatting and interacting with residents, facilitating important interchange. Community ownership. An appreciation of process. It’s all there in the grant evaluation forms.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy, Jake, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural
Page Number: 171
Explanation and Analysis:

She gestures to the mural, where her partner’s painting in the figures of three women. They’re prominent, next to the four laughing Eritrean children who are posing with a basketball.

“Should that be a soccer ball?” I say, half to myself.

“Sorry?”

“Should those kids be holding a soccer ball instead? They’ve actually formed a whole team; they play on the oval on a Sunday afternoon. I think soccer’s more their thing.”

I might be wrong. They might be Somalis.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy (speaker), Jake, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural
Page Number: 172
Explanation and Analysis:

“They won’t graffiti it,” interjects Mandy, who’s listening. She’s walking along past each big smiling face, giving each eye a realistic twinkle. “Nobody will graffiti anything they feel a sense of ownership and inclusion about.”

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy (speaker), Jake, Pro-Guard Representative, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural, The Sealant and White Spirit
Page Number: 180
Explanation and Analysis:

I’ve never been here on the estate this late at night. As I splash the sealant on I listen to cars revving and residents shouting, doors slamming, a quick blooping siren as the police pull someone over, the thumping woofers of passing car stereos. And through it all, I hear a babel of voices; every language group we’re so proud of, calling and greeting, arguing and yelling, nearly two thousand people I couldn’t name and who have no use for me. Who glance at me, leaving in my car every afternoon, and look away again, busy with the demands of getting by.

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Mandy, Jake, The Other Residents
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:

“Such a positive message,” the minister is saying, “and I understand the community itself had a hand in creating it. Marvellous.”

Related Characters: Narrator (speaker), Minister (speaker), Mandy, Jake, The Other Residents
Related Symbols: The Mural
Page Number: 182
Explanation and Analysis: