Son of a Trickster

by

Eden Robinson

Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom Character Analysis

Maggie Moody is Jared’s mom, Phil’s ex-wife, and Anita’s daughter. She’s extremely aggressive and violent, and she often takes her anger out on Jared. After Maggie and Jared’s dad divorce, she dates a series of abusive boyfriends. The first of these, David, breaks Jared’s ribs, and so Jared’s mom uses a nail gun to nail his feet to the floor. Another, Richie, sets his dogs on Jared before they start dating, and she saves Jared by running over one of the dogs with her car. In this way, Maggie often uses violence to protect Jared, but this makes their relationship complicated, because Jared never feels warm, unconditional love from her. This is particularly true in the second half of the book, when Maggie learns that Jared is helping his dad (whom she hates) and destroys his bedroom as punishment. She then abandons Jared for weeks in the house alone. Even when she returns, she uses drugs frequently and lashes out at Jared, at one point even stabbing him with tweezers. Ultimately, Maggie also reveals that she is a witch, and that Jared is actually the son of the trickster raven Wee’git, whom she tried to kill by shooting him in the head. The end of the book leaves Maggie and Jared’s relationship on a sour note: as Jared tries to get more control over his life by getting sober, Maggie violently lashes out at him because she assumes that he is judging her lifestyle. Overall, Jared’s relationship with his mother illustrates that because of her instability, Jared has had to grow up a lot faster than he might have otherwise.

Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom Quotes in Son of a Trickster

The Son of a Trickster quotes below are all either spoken by Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom or refer to Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom. 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:
Dysfunctional Families, Responsibility, and Maturity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Nana Sophia kissed him. “And I love you and I would never hurt you. But if you weren’t Philip’s and your momma tried to pass you off as his, I’d have slit her throat and left her in a ditch to die like a dog.”

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Nana Sophia (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Wee’git/The Voice
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Baby thumped her tail when his mom came over to squeeze Jared’s shoulder. His mom’s eyes darted around the room, but she avoided meeting his. Normally, she’d be telling him sixteen was way too old to be acting like a big fucking wuss, but they could hear the vet and the receptionist talking in the front room, so she stayed quiet. She patted her jeans as she walked out. Probably forgot her lighter in the truck.

The world is hard, his mom liked to say. You have to be harder.

Baby licked his cheek.

“Gonna miss you,” Jared whispered in her ear.

Baby lifted a leg and farted. Jared laughed, and then it turned into crying that faded into more sniffling.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Baby Killer
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:

He looked down. Blood and chunks had turned the front of his jeans red. And of course his homework was blowing down the street and he didn’t want to arrive late, get stared at for his dog-splattered jeans and not have his homework done. His mom wrapped him in her arms while the cop asked Richie to describe his other pit bull. She squeezed him until his ribs creaked.

“Richie could be the answer to a lot of our problems,” she whispered in his ear. “If you keep your cool and don’t take this personally.”

He choked on his answer, trying to pull out of her grip.

“I’d kill and die for you, Jelly Bean,” she said. “Don’t ever forget that.”

Related Characters: Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker), Jared Martin, Richie, David
Page Number: 21
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

A raven landed on the sidewalk in front of him, black and ominous. It cocked its head, studying him. Jared liked crows because they were small and goofy, but ravens with their deep croaks and their large size unnerved him.

“FYI,” the raven said, “advertisers lie to get you to buy their product. If you coat yourself in Axe body spray, girls aren’t going to pull your clothes off. They’re going to hold their noses and back away.”

Holy crap, Jared thought. I am still way more stoned than I thought.

The raven hopped closer. “So do everyone a favour and stop bathing in it. Okay?”

“‘Kay,” Jared said.

Related Characters: Wee’git/The Voice (speaker), Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Richie, David
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:

Jared bumped off a couple of trees as he sped down, laughing his ass off as Kelsey tumbled past him. He was declared the loser, and had to spin a plastic cocoon around Blake, who kangaroo-hopped over to Kelsey and jumped up to kick him.

Afterwards, Jared took the bus back to their neighbourhood and helped Mrs. Jaks shovel the snow out of her driveway while Mr. Jaks searched the house for snow tires for the car they’d sold. They had venison pie for supper. She asked him if he could watch Mr. Jaks on Wednesday while she went to a doctor’s appointment. She promised to make his favourite, spaghetti with moose meatballs.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Mrs. Jaks, Mr. Jaks, Blake, Kelsey
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

She was going to be so pissed if—when—she found out he was helping out his dad. Jared didn’t want to live with his dad. He wasn’t picking sides. God, no. He just didn’t want his dad to be homeless. He didn’t want to worry about her reaction, but it wiggled around the back of his mind like a melody that you hummed without thinking.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Page Number: 60
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

The money is for YOU, she wrote. I mean it.
Destiny’s having her baby soon.
My pretty, pretty enabler. Repeat after me: I’m not responsible for the crappy decisions of the grown-ups in my life.
Jared rolled his eyes. Love you, Nana.
Love you more, Cutie.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Nana Sophia (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Destiny
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

U home 2nite? his mom texted.

Yup.

Luv ur guts.

She was probably drunk and lonely but he read it and reread it, swallowing. Back atcha.

Sarcastic lil shit ur lucky I luv u nuff not to murder u in ur sleep.

Ya, ya.

Get ur rotten ass home b4 I hunt u down.

I have pizza.

Best son ever.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker), Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

Science had a pop quiz. French had homework due he hadn’t done. At lunch, he ate a stale croissant with no-name margarine that he’d scored from the food bank. Spring had sprung. The grass needed cutting, the fridge was making noises and he had no idea how he was going to make the bills. He thought that was probably part of the punishment. If he was going to pay his dad’s bills, then he was going to pay his mom’s. She had a Biblical sense of justice. Eye for an eye, bill for a bill.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:

He took her hand and put it on his ribs. “My mom dated this douche named David. He didn’t like my grades, so he broke a couple of my ribs. Slowly. He got a boner when I started screaming.”

Sarah flinched. “That’s messed up.”

After a bit she kissed him, then took her hand back and reached up for the j. She inhaled deep before she curled into his side.

“I feel numb,” she said, “all the time, like I took sleeping pills and can’t wake up. I just want to feel something.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jared said. “And I don’t want to be hurt.”

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Sarah Jaks (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, David
Page Number: 163-164
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

“Are you still helping him?”

“No.”

“Then why’d you pawn the TV?”

“You took off, but we still had bills.”

She took another deep, slow breath. “I was pissed. You have no idea what it took not to strangle you.”

“Yeah,” Jared said. “That’s love.”

She side-eyed him. “That’s the only thing that kept you from being mulch.”

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker), Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Related Symbols: Jared’s Rooms/The Basement
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

All he seemed to be doing these days was crying. Why stop now, he thought, as he bent over and put his head on the table. He didn’t care if Nana—if Sophia killed him. She’d been his lifeline when things got dark. She’d been the one person who could make the crap seem less crappy. And she hated him now. And he hated himself and his life, and he heard himself choking on his own snot and he was disgusted but he couldn’t stop.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Wee’git/The Voice, Nana Sophia
Page Number: 269
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

“I want to shake your hand,” Mr. Wilkinson said. And he held out his hand, and he was attracting attention, so Jared reluctantly shook. “It took a lot of guts to come here. I wish I’d been as together as you are when I was your age. I’m proud of you, Jared.”

Jared started crying. Leaking tears. And then bawling and shaking. And feeling like a phony and a loser. Mr. Wilkinson wrapped his arms around him and let him cry.

Related Characters: Mr. Wilkinson (speaker), Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Jwa’sins, Dylan Wilkinson
Page Number: 311
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

“Judge-y and self-righteous, just like my mom.”

“I’m not judging you. I love you.”

“You want me to quit drinking now, right? Stop partying. Be a good fucking girl and keep your legs fucking shut and obey everybody. Right?”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with you. This is my sobriety.”

“Can you stop quoting your cult?”

“You don’t have to change,” Jared said. “You don’t—”

She whacked him upside the head.

“Later,” Jared said.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker)
Page Number: 313-314
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Son of a Trickster LitChart as a printable PDF.
Son of a Trickster PDF

Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom Quotes in Son of a Trickster

The Son of a Trickster quotes below are all either spoken by Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom or refer to Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom. 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:
Dysfunctional Families, Responsibility, and Maturity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Nana Sophia kissed him. “And I love you and I would never hurt you. But if you weren’t Philip’s and your momma tried to pass you off as his, I’d have slit her throat and left her in a ditch to die like a dog.”

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Nana Sophia (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Wee’git/The Voice
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Baby thumped her tail when his mom came over to squeeze Jared’s shoulder. His mom’s eyes darted around the room, but she avoided meeting his. Normally, she’d be telling him sixteen was way too old to be acting like a big fucking wuss, but they could hear the vet and the receptionist talking in the front room, so she stayed quiet. She patted her jeans as she walked out. Probably forgot her lighter in the truck.

The world is hard, his mom liked to say. You have to be harder.

Baby licked his cheek.

“Gonna miss you,” Jared whispered in her ear.

Baby lifted a leg and farted. Jared laughed, and then it turned into crying that faded into more sniffling.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Baby Killer
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:

He looked down. Blood and chunks had turned the front of his jeans red. And of course his homework was blowing down the street and he didn’t want to arrive late, get stared at for his dog-splattered jeans and not have his homework done. His mom wrapped him in her arms while the cop asked Richie to describe his other pit bull. She squeezed him until his ribs creaked.

“Richie could be the answer to a lot of our problems,” she whispered in his ear. “If you keep your cool and don’t take this personally.”

He choked on his answer, trying to pull out of her grip.

“I’d kill and die for you, Jelly Bean,” she said. “Don’t ever forget that.”

Related Characters: Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker), Jared Martin, Richie, David
Page Number: 21
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

A raven landed on the sidewalk in front of him, black and ominous. It cocked its head, studying him. Jared liked crows because they were small and goofy, but ravens with their deep croaks and their large size unnerved him.

“FYI,” the raven said, “advertisers lie to get you to buy their product. If you coat yourself in Axe body spray, girls aren’t going to pull your clothes off. They’re going to hold their noses and back away.”

Holy crap, Jared thought. I am still way more stoned than I thought.

The raven hopped closer. “So do everyone a favour and stop bathing in it. Okay?”

“‘Kay,” Jared said.

Related Characters: Wee’git/The Voice (speaker), Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Richie, David
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:

Jared bumped off a couple of trees as he sped down, laughing his ass off as Kelsey tumbled past him. He was declared the loser, and had to spin a plastic cocoon around Blake, who kangaroo-hopped over to Kelsey and jumped up to kick him.

Afterwards, Jared took the bus back to their neighbourhood and helped Mrs. Jaks shovel the snow out of her driveway while Mr. Jaks searched the house for snow tires for the car they’d sold. They had venison pie for supper. She asked him if he could watch Mr. Jaks on Wednesday while she went to a doctor’s appointment. She promised to make his favourite, spaghetti with moose meatballs.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Mrs. Jaks, Mr. Jaks, Blake, Kelsey
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

She was going to be so pissed if—when—she found out he was helping out his dad. Jared didn’t want to live with his dad. He wasn’t picking sides. God, no. He just didn’t want his dad to be homeless. He didn’t want to worry about her reaction, but it wiggled around the back of his mind like a melody that you hummed without thinking.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Page Number: 60
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

The money is for YOU, she wrote. I mean it.
Destiny’s having her baby soon.
My pretty, pretty enabler. Repeat after me: I’m not responsible for the crappy decisions of the grown-ups in my life.
Jared rolled his eyes. Love you, Nana.
Love you more, Cutie.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Nana Sophia (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Destiny
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

U home 2nite? his mom texted.

Yup.

Luv ur guts.

She was probably drunk and lonely but he read it and reread it, swallowing. Back atcha.

Sarcastic lil shit ur lucky I luv u nuff not to murder u in ur sleep.

Ya, ya.

Get ur rotten ass home b4 I hunt u down.

I have pizza.

Best son ever.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker), Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

Science had a pop quiz. French had homework due he hadn’t done. At lunch, he ate a stale croissant with no-name margarine that he’d scored from the food bank. Spring had sprung. The grass needed cutting, the fridge was making noises and he had no idea how he was going to make the bills. He thought that was probably part of the punishment. If he was going to pay his dad’s bills, then he was going to pay his mom’s. She had a Biblical sense of justice. Eye for an eye, bill for a bill.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:

He took her hand and put it on his ribs. “My mom dated this douche named David. He didn’t like my grades, so he broke a couple of my ribs. Slowly. He got a boner when I started screaming.”

Sarah flinched. “That’s messed up.”

After a bit she kissed him, then took her hand back and reached up for the j. She inhaled deep before she curled into his side.

“I feel numb,” she said, “all the time, like I took sleeping pills and can’t wake up. I just want to feel something.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jared said. “And I don’t want to be hurt.”

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Sarah Jaks (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, David
Page Number: 163-164
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

“Are you still helping him?”

“No.”

“Then why’d you pawn the TV?”

“You took off, but we still had bills.”

She took another deep, slow breath. “I was pissed. You have no idea what it took not to strangle you.”

“Yeah,” Jared said. “That’s love.”

She side-eyed him. “That’s the only thing that kept you from being mulch.”

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker), Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad
Related Symbols: Jared’s Rooms/The Basement
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

All he seemed to be doing these days was crying. Why stop now, he thought, as he bent over and put his head on the table. He didn’t care if Nana—if Sophia killed him. She’d been his lifeline when things got dark. She’d been the one person who could make the crap seem less crappy. And she hated him now. And he hated himself and his life, and he heard himself choking on his own snot and he was disgusted but he couldn’t stop.

Related Characters: Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Wee’git/The Voice, Nana Sophia
Page Number: 269
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

“I want to shake your hand,” Mr. Wilkinson said. And he held out his hand, and he was attracting attention, so Jared reluctantly shook. “It took a lot of guts to come here. I wish I’d been as together as you are when I was your age. I’m proud of you, Jared.”

Jared started crying. Leaking tears. And then bawling and shaking. And feeling like a phony and a loser. Mr. Wilkinson wrapped his arms around him and let him cry.

Related Characters: Mr. Wilkinson (speaker), Jared Martin, Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom, Phil Martin/Jared’s Dad, Jwa’sins, Dylan Wilkinson
Page Number: 311
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

“Judge-y and self-righteous, just like my mom.”

“I’m not judging you. I love you.”

“You want me to quit drinking now, right? Stop partying. Be a good fucking girl and keep your legs fucking shut and obey everybody. Right?”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with you. This is my sobriety.”

“Can you stop quoting your cult?”

“You don’t have to change,” Jared said. “You don’t—”

She whacked him upside the head.

“Later,” Jared said.

Related Characters: Jared Martin (speaker), Maggie Moody/Jared’s Mom (speaker)
Page Number: 313-314
Explanation and Analysis: