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Juan Reyes Fragua/The Albino Man
Milly is Abel’s social worker with whom he starts a sexual relationship. Though Milly is more idealistic than Abel, believing in the American Dream and in Abel’s personal potential, the two of them bond over their profound loneliness. Milly narrates a brief section in “The Priest of the Sun” in first-person perspective, reflecting on her past and why she is so alone. Abel cares for Milly, but his drinking and self-sabotage threaten their relationship, especially since she is professionally responsible for his well-being. Ben also likes Milly, and he hopes she will stay in his life after Abel returns to Walatowa. The story does not address what happens to her after Abel leaves Los Angeles.
Milly Quotes in House Made of Dawn
The House Made of Dawn quotes below are all either spoken by Milly or refer to Milly. 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:
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8. The Priest of the Sun, January 26 Quotes
“No test is completely valid,” she said. “Some are more valid than others.”
But Milly believed in tests, questions and answers, words on paper. She was a lot like Ben. She believed in Honor, Industry, the Second Chance, the Brotherhood of Man, the American Dream, and him––Abel; she believed in him. After a while he began to suspect as much […].
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She had been in Los Angeles four years, and in all that time she had not talked to anyone. There were people all around; she knew them, worked with them––sometimes they would not leave her alone––but she did not talk to them, tell them anything that mattered in the least. […]
And then one day he was there by her door, waiting for her. It was a hot, humid afternoon and the streets were full of people when she walked home. And he was waiting for her. […] He was saying something, trying to tell her why he had come, and suddenly she realized how lonely they both were, how unspeakably lonely.
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Milly Character Timeline in House Made of Dawn
The timeline below shows where the character Milly appears in House Made of Dawn. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
8. The Priest of the Sun, January 26
Abel’s fragmented psyche continues to recall his past, revealing that the questions were posed by Milly, his social worker. He remembers in detail the night he had sex with her. She...
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...Josie cheered him up after his mother died. The memory is interrupted by a single thought––“Milly?” Abel is afraid. He is always afraid, since he knows something he can’t imagine lingers...
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...He remembers a white soldier describing Abel whooping and dancing around bullets. He thinks of Milly, and briefly his awareness returns to his injured body, but then he slips back into...
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Abel remembers that his relationship with Milly became meaningful when they realized how lonely they both were, and the narration slips into...
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...out and continues traveling in the shadows. His pain eventually overcomes him, and he sees Milly and Ben running on a moonlit beach.
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10. The Night Chanter, February 20
...the floor. As Ben dries his shirt on the radiator, he thinks of Abel and Milly. He likes Milly, and he hopes she will continue visiting him even though Abel has...
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...Ben for money, and when Ben eventually refuses to give him any, Abel starts asking Milly. Milly and the Relocation officers try to find Abel new jobs, but he is always...
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Ben knows that Milly likes Abel more than him, and he worries that Abel will hurt the overly-trusting Milly....
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