Before We Were Yours

by

Lisa Wingate

Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers Character Analysis

Rill Foss’s younger sister. Camellia is about 10 years old when she and her siblings are kidnapped by Georgia Tann and put up for illegal adoption. Unlike her other siblings, Camellia does not have curly blond hair, but dark hair and dark eyes. Of all the Foss children, Camellia is the most combative and most like their father, Briny Foss. When Camellia and her brother and sisters are taken to the orphanage run by Tann and Ida Murphy, Camellia gets into fights and is frequently in trouble for being disrespectful. Camellia takes a liking to the groundskeeper, Mr. Riggs, who gives the children peppermints. One day while all of her siblings are at a “viewing” (an event where Tann shows off her most attractive children to wealthy potential adoptive parents) Camellia is sexually assaulted by Mr. Riggs. When Rill and the others return to the orphanage, she learns what happened and tries to take care of Camellia. Rill even tells a worker, Miss Dodd, about what happened. However, Riggs is not punished, and Camellia is abruptly taken away. A short time later, Rill asks Tann and Murphy where Camellia is, but Tann tells her that Camellia never existed, possibly indicating that the rumors of children being killed by Tann to keep them quiet are true. Either way, Camellia is never seen or heard from again.

Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers Quotes in Before We Were Yours

The Before We Were Yours quotes below are all either spoken by Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers or refer to Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers . 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:
Personal Identity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 14 Quotes

Her hand is knotted in a fist between us. I take it in mine, pry open her fingers to see what she’s holding, and the minute I do, all the cookies and ice cream from the party come up in my throat. Dirty, round peppermints are stuck so tight to my sister’s palm, they’re melted into her skin.

I close my eyes and shake my head and try not to know, but I do. My mind drags me kicking and screaming to Mrs. Murphy’s cellar, into the dark corner behind the stairs where ash coats the coal bin and the boiler furnace. I see thin, strong arms fighting, legs thrashing around. I see a big hand closing over a screaming mouth, the dirty, oily fingers squeezing so hard they leave four round bruises.

Related Characters: Rill Foss/May Weathers Crandall (speaker), Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers , Mr. Riggs
Page Number: 158
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

Even the name sounds strange in my mind now. People keep calling me May. Maybe Rill’s still on the river someplace with Camellia, and Lark, and Fern, and Gabion. Maybe they’re drifting down in the lazy low-water summer currents, watching boats pass and barges go by and Cooper’s hawks circle wide and slow, hunting for fish to dive after.

Maybe Rill is only a story I read, like Huck Finn and Jim. Maybe I’m not even Rill and never was.

I turn and run down the steps and across the yard, my dress sweeping up around my legs. I stretch out my arms and throw back my head and make my own breeze, and for a minute, I find Rill again. I’m her.

Related Characters: Rill Foss/May Weathers Crandall (speaker), Fern Foss/Beth Weathers, Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers , Lark Foss/Bonnie Weathers, Gabion “Gabby” Foss/Robby Weathers
Page Number: 175-176
Explanation and Analysis:

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you invented some ridiculous story about your fictitious sister and poor Mr. Riggs.”

Blood pounds in my head. I try to make sense of what she’s saying, but I can’t.

“There never was any… Camellia. You and I both know that, don’t we, May? There were four of you when you came here. Two little sisters and one little brother. Only four. And we’ve done a marvelous job in finding homes, thus far. Good homes. And for that, you are most grateful, aren’t you?” She motions to Mrs. Pulnik. […] “There will be no more of this nonsense out of you. Do you understand?”

Related Characters: Rill Foss/May Weathers Crandall (speaker), Georgia Tann (speaker), Fern Foss/Beth Weathers, Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers , Lark Foss/Bonnie Weathers, Gabion “Gabby” Foss/Robby Weathers, Mrs. Pulnik, Mr. Riggs, Miss Dodd
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
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Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers Quotes in Before We Were Yours

The Before We Were Yours quotes below are all either spoken by Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers or refer to Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers . 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:
Personal Identity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 14 Quotes

Her hand is knotted in a fist between us. I take it in mine, pry open her fingers to see what she’s holding, and the minute I do, all the cookies and ice cream from the party come up in my throat. Dirty, round peppermints are stuck so tight to my sister’s palm, they’re melted into her skin.

I close my eyes and shake my head and try not to know, but I do. My mind drags me kicking and screaming to Mrs. Murphy’s cellar, into the dark corner behind the stairs where ash coats the coal bin and the boiler furnace. I see thin, strong arms fighting, legs thrashing around. I see a big hand closing over a screaming mouth, the dirty, oily fingers squeezing so hard they leave four round bruises.

Related Characters: Rill Foss/May Weathers Crandall (speaker), Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers , Mr. Riggs
Page Number: 158
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

Even the name sounds strange in my mind now. People keep calling me May. Maybe Rill’s still on the river someplace with Camellia, and Lark, and Fern, and Gabion. Maybe they’re drifting down in the lazy low-water summer currents, watching boats pass and barges go by and Cooper’s hawks circle wide and slow, hunting for fish to dive after.

Maybe Rill is only a story I read, like Huck Finn and Jim. Maybe I’m not even Rill and never was.

I turn and run down the steps and across the yard, my dress sweeping up around my legs. I stretch out my arms and throw back my head and make my own breeze, and for a minute, I find Rill again. I’m her.

Related Characters: Rill Foss/May Weathers Crandall (speaker), Fern Foss/Beth Weathers, Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers , Lark Foss/Bonnie Weathers, Gabion “Gabby” Foss/Robby Weathers
Page Number: 175-176
Explanation and Analysis:

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you invented some ridiculous story about your fictitious sister and poor Mr. Riggs.”

Blood pounds in my head. I try to make sense of what she’s saying, but I can’t.

“There never was any… Camellia. You and I both know that, don’t we, May? There were four of you when you came here. Two little sisters and one little brother. Only four. And we’ve done a marvelous job in finding homes, thus far. Good homes. And for that, you are most grateful, aren’t you?” She motions to Mrs. Pulnik. […] “There will be no more of this nonsense out of you. Do you understand?”

Related Characters: Rill Foss/May Weathers Crandall (speaker), Georgia Tann (speaker), Fern Foss/Beth Weathers, Camellia Foss/Iris Weathers , Lark Foss/Bonnie Weathers, Gabion “Gabby” Foss/Robby Weathers, Mrs. Pulnik, Mr. Riggs, Miss Dodd
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis: