Orphan Train

by

Christina Baker Kline

Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman are Niamh’s neighbors on Elizabeth Street in New York in the 1920s. They are a middle-aged couple who emigrated from Germany. They care for Niamh in the days after the house fire that kills her father and brothers, and take her to the Children’s Aid Society. They tell her that her sister, Maisie, died in the fire, but years later, Vivian/Niamh discovers that they adopted Maisie.

Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman Quotes in Orphan Train

The Orphan Train quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman or refer to Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman. 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:
Belonging and Connection Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

But Mr. Schatzman frowns and shakes his head, and it’s then that I realize just how alone I am. There is no adult on this side of the Atlantic who has reason to take any interest in me, no one to guide me onto a boat or pay for my passage. I am a burden to society, and nobody’s responsibility.

Related Characters: Vivian Daly / Niamh Power / “Dorothy” (speaker), Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman
Page Number: 26
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Orphan Train LitChart as a printable PDF.
Orphan Train PDF

Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman Quotes in Orphan Train

The Orphan Train quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman or refer to Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman. 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:
Belonging and Connection Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

But Mr. Schatzman frowns and shakes his head, and it’s then that I realize just how alone I am. There is no adult on this side of the Atlantic who has reason to take any interest in me, no one to guide me onto a boat or pay for my passage. I am a burden to society, and nobody’s responsibility.

Related Characters: Vivian Daly / Niamh Power / “Dorothy” (speaker), Mr. and Mrs. Schatzman
Page Number: 26
Explanation and Analysis: