Previous
Peter Szubanski
Margaret is Peter Szubanski’s wife and mother to Magda, Barb, and Chris. With her Scotch-Irish accent, Margaret has a witty and irreverent sense of humor. Margaret was raised in Ireland by her parents, Luke and Meg, and grew up poor. Because of this, Margaret’s philosophy as a parent is to reinforce in her children the idea that no child is special. Moreover, constantly prepared for loss, Margaret’s affection can turn cold and distant suddenly. After moving to Australia, separated from her mother and afraid she would lose Peter to cancer, Margaret suffered a long period of depression. Getting jobs with other women immigrants and eventually getting her driver’s license restored some of Margaret’s happiness and independence. While working through her depression, she suspected that Peter, who could be cold and indifferent, was having an affair, and contemplated divorcing him. Where Peter is stoic and realistic, Margaret succumbs to emotion in extreme circumstances, as when the historic sites of the Holocaust in Poland bring her to tears. However, the fierce bond between Margaret and Peter saw them through these differences. Though Magda and Margaret’s relationship can be distant, Margaret is supportive of Magda. And after Magda comes out to her parents about her sexuality, Margaret reassures Magda that she loves her unconditionally.
Margaret Quotes in Reckoning
The Reckoning quotes below are all either spoken by Margaret or refer to Margaret . 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:
).
Chapter 15: Becoming a Fat Lesbian
Quotes
While it was me, it didn’t feel like it was me. I felt as though I were possessed by some evil spirit. No one knew very much about weight loss back then. The consensus was: eat less. But I didn’t seem to be able to do that. I was plagued with questions that I could not answer, except as condemnations. I called myself cruel names: weak, greedy, lazy.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25: Shadow in the Amber
Quotes
He was reproaching her—for what? Her weakness?—and he was recasting her response as self-indulgent. A useless thing that was no help to anyone.
As a man his job was not to feel. It was to act, to do something. Maybe Izabella’s father was right—feelings are what get people killed.
But dear God, if you cannot weep at Auschwitz?
I was thirty-one years old. I was a brave Pole. I felt the expectation to man up, and my emotions fell into step with my father’s. They floated off like vapor. I felt, at that moment, nothing except irritation with my mother’s weakness.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37: Ireland
Quotes
Was I too soft, too privileged? Yet again I was unsure which was the mad response—feeling or not feeling. And which response was more useful—mindfulness or denial.
Get the entire Reckoning LitChart as a printable PDF.
Margaret Quotes in Reckoning
The Reckoning quotes below are all either spoken by Margaret or refer to Margaret . 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:
).
Chapter 15: Becoming a Fat Lesbian
Quotes
While it was me, it didn’t feel like it was me. I felt as though I were possessed by some evil spirit. No one knew very much about weight loss back then. The consensus was: eat less. But I didn’t seem to be able to do that. I was plagued with questions that I could not answer, except as condemnations. I called myself cruel names: weak, greedy, lazy.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25: Shadow in the Amber
Quotes
He was reproaching her—for what? Her weakness?—and he was recasting her response as self-indulgent. A useless thing that was no help to anyone.
As a man his job was not to feel. It was to act, to do something. Maybe Izabella’s father was right—feelings are what get people killed.
But dear God, if you cannot weep at Auschwitz?
I was thirty-one years old. I was a brave Pole. I felt the expectation to man up, and my emotions fell into step with my father’s. They floated off like vapor. I felt, at that moment, nothing except irritation with my mother’s weakness.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37: Ireland
Quotes
Was I too soft, too privileged? Yet again I was unsure which was the mad response—feeling or not feeling. And which response was more useful—mindfulness or denial.
