In The Place of Last Things Blog

“I’m sorry about your dad.”Russ gave a short nod at the highway. Earlier, Grant had said the same thing, and could barely get the words out before he had started to choke up. Since Mike died Russ himself hadn’t yet fallen to weeping, or talking as if to expel the pain. He’d been crazy for a few days and scared one or two people who needed scaring, but he hadn’t so lost his judgement that he’d tried to talk anything through, and now he was impatient with anyone who did try to, anyone who said any of the usual things, in the usual ways.

This passage from the novel completely shows the main traits and motivations of Russ Littlebury. It says that when his father died, Russ didn’t cry or talk with anybody to get any feelings or emotion out. He had just kept his emotions bottled up inside of him. He did expel some emotion in other ways which was quite violent and not the right way to deal with situations such as this. We can see his anger in different parts of the book such as when he decides he would fight jack marks.


“He extended his hand. The dog consented to sniff it. Its tail swept vaguely. Then Marks stood and leaned over and scratched the animal with one hand, while with the other he took the cigarette from his mouth and cupped it. He brought it in from behind the dog’s head and then pressed it fast into the animal’s ear.”

This is an excerpt from the novel involving Jack Marks and an innocent animal. Russ is watching these events unfold from a hidden vantage point. It shows that Jack Marks can be an extremely cruel person for no apparent reason at all. He abuses his power of charm, uses people, and then abandons them. This is exactly what he did to Lea and showed no emotion for her even after hearing about her feelings for him. He is a cruel manipulative person and these two instances prove it.


"I know you're committed to your students, Russ, but it's easy to forget what's at stake for them. And John's the oldest one in each class. He won't make it without some help."

This is a quote from the novel when Tara is speaking with Russ. It is when they are teaching together and they are discussing an illiterate student of theirs named John Overstreet. He is unable to do well in their courses as he is incapable of doing much of the work. Tara ends up giving him a good mark in the course. This shows that she has ethical values of that of a Utilitarian. They believe that the end justifies the means, so in her case, even though giving that mark might not have been the best decision at that point, in the end, everyone was better off for it.


“You were never pregnant. You know that now"

This is a quote from the novel that is said to Lea. She thought she was pregnant when she actually was not. This shows that she is not the most intelligent person. It also shows that she is a strong person as she was willing to risk a lot for what she believed. Jack Marks is the supposed father which is a major occurrence in the plot.


" Your mother was a good woman, That's all you need to know. Don't ever live in the past, son. You sure won't catch me there." Russ had never known his father to fear anything, and the comment returned now as he sat over him. He understood that Mike didn't fear death, or even hell, having known them. He feared only judgement, and had lived his last decades against that moment to come.

This passage from the novel is Russ and his father in conversation. Russ’s mother died before he was born so naturally he is curious about her. His father tells him to never look back in the past and always live in the now. This shows that he is a very spiritual person and is also very wise. He wishes to pass on his own beliefs to his son.