Mary Lou Finney Character Analysis in Walk Two Moons

Mary Lou Finney is a girl in Sal’s class. She often says odd things like “omnipotent” or “beef brain.” This confuses Sal at first—but Mary Lou’s mannerisms start to make more sense when Sal visits the Finney house. Mary Lou says “omnipotent” as an alternative to saying God’s name in vain, and she refers to her three younger brothers as “beef-brained.” Phoebe and Sal hang out with Mary Lou most Saturdays—except for the Saturday that Mary Lou is out on a date with their classmate Alex. Mary Lou’s relationship with Alex goes through a rough patch when Mr. Birkway reads Mary Lou’s summer journal aloud. In it, Mary Lou wrote that Alex was a jerk—and though Mr. Birkway doesn’t share whose journal it is, Alex and the rest of the class know that Mary Lou was writing about Alex.

Mary Lou Finney Quotes in Walk Two Moons

The Walk Two Moons quotes below are all either spoken by Mary Lou Finney or refer to Mary Lou Finney. 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:

Judgment, Perspective, and Storytelling Theme Icon

All through dinner, I kept thinking of Bybanks, and what it was like when we went to my grandparents’ house for dinner. There were always tons of people—relatives and neighbors—and lots of confusion. It was a friendly sort of confusion, and it was like that at the Finneys’ […] Maybe this is what my mother had wanted, I thought. A house full of children and confusion.

Related Characters: Salamanca “Sal” Tree Hiddle (speaker), Momma/Chanhassen “Sugar” Hiddle, Phoebe Winterbottom, Ben Finney, Mary Lou Finney, Mr. Finney, Mrs. Finney

Page Number and Citation: 150

Explanation and Analysis:

Mary Lou Finney Character Timeline in Walk Two Moons

The timeline below shows where the character Mary Lou Finney appears in Walk Two Moons. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...keeps to herself. The other kids all touch Sal’s long black hair, and one girl, Mary Lou Finney, keeps saying odd things like “Beef brain!” or “Omnipotent.” A boy named Ben draws... (full context)

In the story, Sal is at Phoebe’s on a Saturday morning when Mary Lou Finney invites the girls to her house. Phoebe’s parents are out, so Phoebe checks all... (full context)

Parents, Children, and Growing Up Theme Icon

As Phoebe leads Sal to Mary Lou ’s house, Phoebe explains that Mary Lou’s family isn’t as “civilized” as hers. Ben is... (full context)

Last weekend, when there was a sports day at school, Mary Lou and Phoebe’s parents were both there (Dad was not). Phoebe’s parents watched the events, while... (full context)

Now, Phoebe and Sal are sitting with Mary Lou in her bedroom. Phoebe is talking about the lunatic while Mary Lou’s brothers run in... (full context)

As Phoebe and Sal walk home from Mary Lou ’s, Phoebe says it was very loud at the Finneys’. Sal says she didn’t mind,... (full context)

The next Saturday, as Sal and Phoebe are leaving for Mary Lou ’s house, Phoebe finds another message on the porch. This one reads, “Everyone has his... (full context)

...suspicious, but Sal assures her that Dad isn’t leaving the messages. When Ben comes in, Mary Lou asks him what the phrases mean. He draws two moons in a pair of moccasins.... (full context)

Later, Phoebe, Sal, and Mary Lou walk to the drugstore. Tommy and Dougie invite themselves along, as does Ben. Tommy and... (full context)

...Mrs. Winterbottom greets the girls at the door and asks who Ben is and where Mary Lou is, but Phoebe brushes her off. Phoebe gives her mother the latest message, which seems... (full context)

Sal is preoccupied as she walks home with Phoebe, Mary Lou , and Ben. She’s barely paying attention as she and Phoebe part ways with the... (full context)

...hair. Ben gives his report on Prometheus in English class that day, and after school, Mary Lou invites Phoebe and Sal to dinner. Dad agrees that Sal can go and suggests he’ll... (full context)

When Sal, Phoebe, and Mary Lou get to the Finneys’ house, it’s in utter chaos. The boys are running everywhere, while... (full context)

Sal and Phoebe go to Mary Lou ’s after dinner. Sal sits down with Ben while Phoebe goes to look for Mary... (full context)

...was a dinner with matching plates, and Zeus made Pandora feel like a “welcome guest.” Mary Lou and Ben exchange an eyebrow raise. Phoebe says Pandora was given many gifts, such as... (full context)

...the cover and reads that “Betty” will go to hell because she always says “God.” Mary Lou is purple and starts to shout at Christy, but Mr. Birkway says he likes this... (full context)

...From the next journal, Mr. Birkway reads that “Jeremiah” is clean but also a jerk. Mary Lou looks ready to fall over, and Alex looks betrayed. The bell rings. At first, everyone... (full context)

...knows nothing about kissing—she believed it when the writer told her kisses taste like chicken. Mary Lou leaps up and yells at another girl. From the same journal, Mr. Birkway reads that... (full context)