Peggy Ann is one of the younger children in Mink’s neighborhood. She initially participates in the Invasion game, but eventually leaves the yard in tears. Mink tells Mrs. Morris that Peggy Ann “grew up all of a sudden” and is a “scarebaby.” This suggests that Peggy Ann had a sudden realization of the negative repercussions of aiding an alien invasion, and thus was overcome by anxiety. Her implied ability to think logically about the Invasion (that is, realize that the Invasion is real and a potentially dangerous, destructive thing) sets her apart from the other children, who are easily swept away by Drill’s promises and their own excitement and imaginations.
Peggy Ann Quotes in Zero Hour
The Zero Hour quotes below are all either spoken by Peggy Ann or refer to Peggy Ann. 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:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Simon and Schuster edition of Zero Hour published in 1949.
“Zero Hour”
Quotes
“Mink, was that Peggy Ann crying?”
Mink was bent over in the yard, near the rosebush.
“Yeah. She’s a scarebaby. We won’t let her play, now. She’s getting too old to play. I guess she grew up all of a sudden.”
Related Characters:
Mrs. Mary Morris (speaker), Mink Morris (speaker), Drill, Peggy Ann
Related Symbols:
The Rosebush
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Zero Hour LitChart as a printable PDF.
Peggy Ann Character Timeline in Zero Hour
The timeline below shows where the character Peggy Ann appears in Zero Hour. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
“Zero Hour”
...children are still out in the yard, whooping with delight—except for a young girl named Peggy Ann , who runs away in tears. Noticing this, Mrs. Morris orders Mink to explain why...
(full context)