Lina and Poppy spend the day at Mrs. Murdo’s neat apartment. There are three lavender turnips on the table, and Lina thinks that Mrs. Murdo put them there in part because they’re pretty. Lina spends all day on the couch under a warm blanket, feeling sad but comforted too. The next day, Lina gets up to go to work. Mrs. Murdo makes her breakfast and they discuss the upcoming Singing, which they both love. Mrs. Murdo tells Lina that she’ll care for Poppy today and when Lina gets home later, they can talk about where to go from here—Lina and Poppy can’t live alone. Mrs. Murdo shows Lina her empty bedroom, which is cozily decorated in green and blue. Lina thanks Mrs. Murdo, but Mrs. Murdo briskly says that it’s just common sense.
Here, Mrs. Murdo embodies the generous, giving spirit that the Builders seem to have tried to purposefully cultivate in Ember. She’s entirely selfless as she offers to care for Lina and Poppy; she offers because she knows it’s the right thing to do. For Lina, this reminds her that she doesn’t just have to get support from blood relatives. There are many people in Ember who are more than willing to care for her and help in times of need—Mrs. Murdo is proof of that.
ACTIVE THEMES
Coming of Age Theme Icon Family and Community Theme Icon
Three days after Lina and Doon’s excursion into the Pipeworks, they still haven’t heard word of an announcement. Lina doesn’t understand why the man they saw is keeping his discovery of a way out of Ember to herself. As she works, she notices that people seem gloomy and scared. Lots of shops are closed or open reduced hours. Inside, she feels strange and repeats “alone in the world” to herself. It’s not true, since she has Poppy, Mrs. Murdo, and friends, but she also feels like she’s become her own mother since Granny died. Gradually, Lina begins to focus more on Mrs. Murdo’s beautiful extra room. She feels grateful for Mrs. Murdo’s kindness and thinks that she’s not ready to be alone yet.
Notice that here, at least, it never seems to occur to Lina that the door they found might not be the door out of Ember—Looper may have good reasons to not want to share the door with others. This makes Lina look especially young and idealistic, as it shows that she believes everyone has the community’s best interests at heart and will, without fail, do the right thing to help others. Though this attitude doesn’t entirely help Lina, it’s still a good thing when Lina decides to feel grateful for Mrs. Murdo, as doing so allows her to be a child for a while longer.
ACTIVE THEMES
Coming of Age Theme Icon Selfishness, Greed, and Corruption Theme Icon Family and Community Theme Icon
RELATED QUOTES WITH EXPLANATIONS
In the afternoon, Lina catches sight of Lizzie exiting the Supply Depot and yells. Lizzie doesn’t answer, so Lina runs after her. Lizzie only stops when Lina grabs her coat, but she seems distracted. Lina shares that Granny died, but Lizzie expresses only halfhearted sympathy. Lina asks what’s in Lizzie’s sack, and she replies that they’re groceries from the market, which confuses Lina—she saw Lizzie leave the storeroom office. Lizzie starts walking and talking even faster and says that she has a boyfriend. As Lina starts to ask about the boyfriend, Lizzie trips and spills her groceries. The cans roll away and Lizzie immediately tries to grab them. Lina picks up a can of peaches and one of creamed corn, delicacies she hasn’t had in years. Children pick up a can of applesauce.
Lizzie’s behavior is a red flag for Lina that something is up—even if Lizzie is somewhat self-centered, it’s wildly selfish and odd to not acknowledge Lina’s grief. Because it’s clear that Lizzie is lying about where the cans came from, this is an even more shocking experience for Lina. It means, among other things, that Lina now has proof that people she loves and cares about aren’t doing good, moral things—and they’re willing to tell lies to continue doing so.
ACTIVE THEMES
Selfishness, Greed, and Corruption Theme Icon
Lizzie flashes a fake smile and tells the children and Lina that they can keep the cans before rushing away. Lina knows Lizzie is lying; the cans must’ve come from the storeroom. She wonders how much, or if, Lizzie paid for them. At home, Lina offers the cans to Mrs. Murdo, who gasps. Lina says she got the cans from a friend, but doesn’t know where her friend got them. They have a feast for dinner and it’s the best meal Lina has had in a long time. She feels bad, however, about where the food came from.
Explanation:
