Little Fires Everywhere Mrs Richardson Quotes

William Xue

Ms. Bartlett

English 9A

10 May 2023

Chapter Ten Essay This passage from the novel Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng explores the complex relationships and tensions between two families, the Richardsons and the Warrens, in the seemingly idyllic town of Shaker Heights, Ohio. In this passage, Ng uses details, imagery, and repetition to portray Mrs. Richardson as threatened by Mia and her judgmental attitude toward Mia, revealing the theme that people’s judgment and attitude toward others are driven by a sense of threat. First, the author uses details to portray Mrs. Richardson as threatened by Mia. For example, Mrs. Richardson comes to a realization after examining Mia’s appearance. The novel states, “She didn’t care, Mrs. Richardson

Richardson’s judgmental attitude toward Mia. For instance, as Mia arrives at Mrs. Richardson’s home, she surveys Mia and takes note of her outfit and looks. The author says, “Mrs. Richardson tipped her head to one side and studied her tenant. Hair, as always, unkempt atop her head. A loose white button-down untucked over jeans. A smudge of paint on the back of one wrist” (138). This quote shows imagery by Mrs. Richardson’s actions of tilting her head to study Mia and her appearance, showing that Mrs. Richardson pays careful attention to the details and actions of those around her. Because of Mia’s hairstyle and clothes, Mrs. Richardson deems her as a person who does not care about their appearance. To Mrs. Richardson, this unique style differs from her own, so she chooses to judge. Furthermore, when Mrs. Richardson thinks about Mia’s artwork, she has an especially judgemental and negative attitude toward the art and thinks, “What kind of person… would transform a woman into a spider? What kind of person… saw a woman and even thought spider? (138). Mrs. Richardson repeats the phrase “What kind of person” twice as she thinks about Mia’s art and style. She immediately sees Mia’s artwork as strange and judges the art by ignoring the different styles and ways of thinking possible. The repetition of the phrase by Mrs. Richardson demonstrates that she questions herself if Mia categorizes as a normal and sane person by creating artwork so abnormal and different from what she usually