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Ruth
Agnes is Howard’s first wife. Though she had no biological children, Howard chose to inscribe upon her tombstone the word mother—for Agnes is the mother of the gloom. The gloom—a fungal network that connects all the Doyles and keeps Howard immortal—was created through the ritual sacrifice of Agnes’s body: she was buried alive, and the fungus slowly and agonizingly grew through her body. Thus, Howard’s power stems from the suffering of a single woman. His immortality began with sexist violence, and it continues by subjugating women, forcing them to reproduce, and then sacrificing the children. The system clearly benefits men, and it’s thus fitting that High Place is destroyed by a woman (Noemí)—especially one who succeeds by uplifting the women around her.
Agnes Quotes in Mexican Gothic
The Mexican Gothic quotes below are all either spoken by Agnes or refer to Agnes. 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 5
Quotes
The woman raised a gloved hand and pointed at Noemí, and she opened her mouth, but having no mouth since her face was a golden blur, no words came out.
Noemí had not felt scared. Now until now. But this, the woman attempting to speak, it made her indescribably afraid.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
“These are my wives,” Howard said. “Agnes passed away shortly after our arrival to this region[…] It was a long time ago. But she has not been forgotten. Her spirit lives on in High Place. And there, the one on the right, that is my second wife. Alice. She was fruitful. A woman’s function is to preserve the family line. The children, well, Virgil is the only one left, but she did her duty and she did it well.”
Get the entire Mexican Gothic LitChart as a printable PDF.
Agnes Quotes in Mexican Gothic
The Mexican Gothic quotes below are all either spoken by Agnes or refer to Agnes. 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 5
Quotes
The woman raised a gloved hand and pointed at Noemí, and she opened her mouth, but having no mouth since her face was a golden blur, no words came out.
Noemí had not felt scared. Now until now. But this, the woman attempting to speak, it made her indescribably afraid.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
“These are my wives,” Howard said. “Agnes passed away shortly after our arrival to this region[…] It was a long time ago. But she has not been forgotten. Her spirit lives on in High Place. And there, the one on the right, that is my second wife. Alice. She was fruitful. A woman’s function is to preserve the family line. The children, well, Virgil is the only one left, but she did her duty and she did it well.”
