East of Eden

by

John Steinbeck

Dessie Hamilton Character Analysis

Dessie is the unmarried daughter of Sam and Liza, who runs a successful dressmaking business in town. She is deeply funny and entertaining, and her dress shop is a haven for women. Around Dessie, women can act human, and do not have to be feminine, ladylike, or dainty. Dessie has her heart broken by a mysterious man, and is never the same afterwards. She is accidentally killed by Tom when he gives her the wrong medication for her stomachache.

Dessie Hamilton Quotes in East of Eden

The East of Eden quotes below are all either spoken by Dessie Hamilton or refer to Dessie Hamilton. 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:
Good, Evil, and the Human Soul Theme Icon
).
Chapter 23 Quotes

The door was closed to men. It was a sanctuary where women could be themselves—smelly, wanton, mystic, conceited, truthful, and interested…At Dessie’s they were women who went to the toilet and overate and scratched and farted. And from this freedom came laughter, roars of laughter.

Related Characters: John Steinbeck (speaker), Dessie Hamilton
Page Number: 283
Explanation and Analysis:
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Dessie Hamilton Quotes in East of Eden

The East of Eden quotes below are all either spoken by Dessie Hamilton or refer to Dessie Hamilton. 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:
Good, Evil, and the Human Soul Theme Icon
).
Chapter 23 Quotes

The door was closed to men. It was a sanctuary where women could be themselves—smelly, wanton, mystic, conceited, truthful, and interested…At Dessie’s they were women who went to the toilet and overate and scratched and farted. And from this freedom came laughter, roars of laughter.

Related Characters: John Steinbeck (speaker), Dessie Hamilton
Page Number: 283
Explanation and Analysis: