Mortality Quotes in Little Bee (The Other Hand)

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

"Near the end I heard Nkiruka begging to die. I heard the hunters laughing. Then I listened to my sisters bones being broken one by one." (5.25)

Little Bee's description of her sister's torture and death is almost too much for Sarah to hear. But, she knows she has to face the truth – however ugly – if she wants to gain back any sense of stability in her life.

Quote #8

"I left Sarah's husband hanging in the air." (7.139)

Is Little Bee responsible, on some level, for Andrew's suicide? Did she torment him into insanity, or does the very fact that he couldn't tell whether she was real suggest that he would have gone down that road with or without her? After he put his neck in the noose, would there really have been time for someone to help him if she'd called for help? Do you think less of Little Bee because Andrew died while she was trying to decide whether to help him, or not?

Quote #9

"Yes, because if I is not Batman all the time then mine daddy dies." (9.94)

Charlie's revelation to Little Bee is pretty stunning, especially considering that Andrew is already dead. Charlie, we learn, feels entirely responsible for his father's suicide. Andrew dies while Charlie is at nursery school. Charlie thinks that if he (as Batman) had been home, he could have saved Andrew. Giving up his Batman identity (at least during swim time) seems to be a step toward getting past that guilt.