Remembering Babylon

by

David Malouf

Mrs. Hutchence Character Analysis

Mrs. Hutchence is an older woman who lives with Leona in an actual house—the only one for many miles—near the settlement. Mrs. Hutchence is something of an enigma; the settlers know very little of either her or Leona, including where they came from or how they could afford to build a house. Although there is no man to help her maintain her home or property, Mrs. Hutchence proves plenty capable, wearing boots and doing work traditionally done by men—which disconcerts many of the settlers and demonstrates the power and capability of women. Significantly, Mrs. Hutchence introduces Janet to beekeeping and thus offers a space in which Janet can maximize her potential. Her time with Mrs. Hutchence sets Janet on her trajectory for the rest of her life by showing her what it’s like to be free of the societal repression she faces everywhere else in the settlement. Indeed, Mrs. Hutchence’s house becomes a place where several characters are able to be free of their constraining social roles, if only for an afternoon. Although Mrs. Hutchence shelters Gemmy in her home after he is attacked, since it is safer there than at the McIvors, Gemmy feels trapped living indoors and soon leaves.

Mrs. Hutchence Quotes in Remembering Babylon

The Remembering Babylon quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Hutchence or refer to Mrs. Hutchence. 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:
Racism and Xenophobia Theme Icon
).
Chapter 15 Quotes

[Janet] loved the way, while you were dealing with [the bees], you had to submit yourself to their side of things.

Related Characters: Janet McIvor, Mr. Frazer, Mrs. Hutchence
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mrs. Hutchence Quotes in Remembering Babylon

The Remembering Babylon quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Hutchence or refer to Mrs. Hutchence. 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:
Racism and Xenophobia Theme Icon
).
Chapter 15 Quotes

[Janet] loved the way, while you were dealing with [the bees], you had to submit yourself to their side of things.

Related Characters: Janet McIvor, Mr. Frazer, Mrs. Hutchence
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis: