A Great and Terrible Beauty Power Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"An actress," Tom sneers. "What sort of way is that for a woman to live, without a solid home, husband, children? Running about like she's her own lord and master. She'll certainly never be accepted in society as a proper lady." (3.28)

Besides trying to strong-arm the whole world, Tom has very narrow ideas (like teeny-tiny) about what a woman should be allowed to do and how a man should keep his wife.

Quote #2

"I invite you to sit with us and this is how you repay my kindness? By stealing the ring my father gave to me? I should have expected something like this from a girl like you."

We all know what "like you" means. Low-class. Common. Plain, poor, and hopeless. (6.35-36)

Poor Ann is always getting pushed around. Why do the other girls feel so powerful? Why does Ann feel powerless against injustice, like Felicity blaming her for stealing a ring she didn't steal?

Quote #3

I'm ready for Miss Moore to straighten her spine and humiliate Ann in front of everyone by forcing her to admit her shame—and calling her all manner of names as well. There's a certain type of spinster lady who takes her amusement by torturing others under the guise of setting a good example." (6.40)

Power loves an easy scapegoat—someone to blame when things go wrong, who cannot fight back and make things messy. But Miss Moore is different. Even though she has teacher power, she doesn't use it to keep things quiet, and instead she actually tries to problem solve.