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Fiona Cleary
Rainer Moerling Hartheim, a German diplomat and politician, enters the story as a friend of Ralph and Cardinal Vittorio and later becomes an unexpected anchor for Justine Cleary. Pragmatic and emotionally restrained, Rainer carries the weight of his past—including wartime disillusionment and a loveless marriage—but he finds himself drawn to Justine’s sharp wit and fierce independence. He respects her defiance and sees through her emotional armor without trying to change her. Though Justine initially resists intimacy, Rainer waits with quiet patience. Their relationship deepens after Dane’s death, when Rainer helps Justine confront her grief and isolation. He ultimately becomes her partner and husband.
Rainer Moerling Hartheim Quotes in The Thorn Birds
The The Thorn Birds quotes below are all either spoken by Rainer Moerling Hartheim or refer to Rainer Moerling Hartheim . 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 19
Quotes
The tension began to leave her; the worst of it was over. “What I like—no, love—about you the most is that you give me such a good run for my money I never do quite catch up.”
His shoulders shook. “Then look at the future this way, Herzchen. Living in the same house with me might afford you the opportunity to see how it can be done.” He kissed her brows, her cheeks, her eyelids. “I would have you no other way than the way you are, Justine. Not a freckle of your face or a cell of your brain.”
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Rainer Moerling Hartheim Quotes in The Thorn Birds
The The Thorn Birds quotes below are all either spoken by Rainer Moerling Hartheim or refer to Rainer Moerling Hartheim . 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 19
Quotes
The tension began to leave her; the worst of it was over. “What I like—no, love—about you the most is that you give me such a good run for my money I never do quite catch up.”
His shoulders shook. “Then look at the future this way, Herzchen. Living in the same house with me might afford you the opportunity to see how it can be done.” He kissed her brows, her cheeks, her eyelids. “I would have you no other way than the way you are, Justine. Not a freckle of your face or a cell of your brain.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
