Jeanne Skandalaris Character Analysis in Call Me Athena

Overview

Jeanne Skandalaris is a foundational character in Colby Cedar Smith’s verse novel Call Me Athena, though she never appears as a direct narrator or active participant in the 1934 Detroit timeline. She is the great-grandmother of the protagonist Mary and a central figure in the family’s immigration story. The author’s note reveals that Jeanne (also called Jeanette) Skandalaris, alongside her husband George, crossed the Atlantic on the RMS Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic, in 1920. Because Smith never knew her great-grandparents, the character of Jeanne is a reconstruction based on historical documents, oral family stories, and imaginative empathy. Jeanne’s life in France and subsequent journey to America forms a crucial layer of the novel’s meditation on grief and loss, identity and independence, and the immigrant experience.

Plot Role

Jeanne’s function in the narrative is primarily symbolic and structural. The novel’s present-day story follows Mary in 1934 Detroit, grappling with a devastating personal loss (implied by grief metaphor in Chapter 1). The family’s past—including Jeanne’s life in France and her voyage to the United States—is offered as a counterpoint and an explanation for Mary’s own struggles. By referencing the RMS Olympic manifest, the author connects Jeanne directly to a tangible piece of history, grounding her in the real world while also placing her as a figure of legacy and memory. Jeanne does not drive the plot through direct action within the 1934 setting; rather, her story is a narrative frame that illuminates Mary’s inheritance of resilience and the weight of familial sacrifice.

Motivations and Traits (Inferred from the Author’s Note)

Because the supplied evidence contains no chapters depicting Jeanne’s voice or actions, all motivations must be drawn from the author’s biographical notes and the context of early twentieth-century immigration. The author notes that “the details of their journeys from Greece and France are based on a few historical documents.” This allows for educated inference:

Motivation to emigrate: Like many European immigrants of the era, Jeanne likely sought economic opportunity and escape from poverty or social constraints. Her journey with her husband suggests a desire to build a new life in America.
Resilience: The fact that she undertook an ocean voyage (on a ship that had previously served as a troopship) indicates bravery or desperation in the face of uncertainty.
Sense of family duty: Jeanne’s story is preserved by her descendants, hinting that she valued kin and left an enduring impression.

Traits such as determination, quiet fortitude, and a willingness to adapt to a new culture can be cautiously assigned as interpretive possibilities, but the novel text itself does not confirm them.

Chronological Arc

Jeanne’s arc is not presented in a linear fashion within the book. Based on the author’s note and the historical manifest:

Life in France – Jeanne was born in France (her name is French). The exact location and her early life are not detailed in the supplied evidence.
Marriage to George Skandalaris – The manifest numbers six and seven list George and Jeanne as a married couple, suggesting he was of Greek descent and they married before emigration.
Voyage to the United States (1920) – The RMS Olympic carried them to America. Smith notes she changed the year to 1918 in her novel “to keep this ship because I love the history.”
Settlement in Detroit – By 1934, the family is established in Detroit (Mary’s present), and Jeanne’s life as a mother and grandmother forms part of the family lore.

Her arc culminates not in her own story but in her legacy as remembered by her great-granddaughter Mary, whose own coming-of-age echoes Jeanne’s adaptability.

Relationships

With George Skandalaris (husband): The manifest lists them together, implying a partnership that survived the trials of relocation. Their marriage is the vehicle for the family’s transatlantic journey.
With Mary (great-granddaughter): Jeanne is known to Mary only through stories. She is a beloved ancestor whose memory, even if faded, shapes Mary’s understanding of her own identity. The author’s note reveals that Mary’s grandmother (Jeanne’s daughter) also passed down tales.
With the author, Colby Cedar Smith: Smith felt “called to write this story” partly because her own first name appears on the manifest in a porter’s handwriting. This meta-connection underscores Jeanne as a figure of destiny and narrative inheritance.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Since Jeanne’s agency is not depicted in the available evidence, we can only discuss decisions implied by history:

Decision to immigrate: Choosing to leave France for the U.S. set the family on a course that would eventually lead to Mary’s life in Detroit. Consequence: generational displacement, cultural hybridity, and the preservation of stories.
Preserving family stories (inferred): The fact that tales of Jeanne survived suggests she or her immediate descendants made a conscious effort to narrate her life. Consequence: Mary inherits a sense of heritage that becomes a coping mechanism for her own loss.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Grief and Loss: Jeanne’s absence (she is dead by the time of the novel) contributes to the “brush fire” of grief Mary feels. She is a ghost in the narrative—a loved one whose life becomes a source of strength.
Identity and Independence: As a French immigrant married to a Greek man, Jeanne likely navigated multiple cultural identities. Her story parallels Mary’s struggle for independence in 1930s Detroit.
Immigrant Experience: Jeanne’s voyage on the Olympic concretizes the immigrant journey. She represents the millions who passed through Ellis Island or other ports, carrying hopes and fears.
Legacy and Memory: The author’s note frames Jeanne as a subject of memory. The blurred photograph of Mary as a wiggling child becomes a metaphor for the fragility of recollection.
Gender Roles and Expectations: Jeanne lived in an era when women were “expected to wear aprons and pearls” (author’s note, describing Mary’s era, but applicable to Jeanne’s time). Her emigration may have been a rebellion against such constraints, though unconfirmed.

5 Book-Specific Questions and Direct Answers

1. What is Jeanne Skandalaris’s primary role in Call Me Athena?
Jeanne serves as a symbolic ancestor whose immigration story forms the historical backdrop for Mary’s present-day grief. She is a character reconstructed from family lore and the RMS Olympic manifest, representing the immigrant roots of the Skandalaris family.

2. How does the author’s note reveal details about Jeanne’s life?
The author’s note states that Jeanne (Jeanette) Skandalaris was the great-grandmother of Mary, and that she traveled with her husband George on the RMS Olympic. Smith never knew her, so Jeanne’s portrayal is “based on a few historical documents, research, travels to Europe, and stories from my grandmother and her siblings.”

3. Why did Colby Cedar Smith feel compelled to write about Jeanne?
She felt “called” because her own first name, Colby, appears twice in the manifest’s porter’s handwriting. Additionally, the desire to honor her grandmother Mary and preserve family stories motivated the novel.

4. In what way does Jeanne connect to the theme of grief?
Because Jeanne is a deceased ancestor, her memory contributes to the inherited sorrow that Mary expresses. The brush-fire metaphor of grief encompasses all loss—including the loss of Jeanne’s living presence—as a force that transforms identity.

5. What is the significance of the RMS Olympic manifest for Jeanne’s character?
The manifest authenticates her real existence and ties her to a famous ship. It also underscores Smith’s creative license (changing the year from 1920 to 1918) while honoring the factual basis of Jeanne’s journey.

For deeper exploration, visit our analysis of themes of identity and independence, the ending explained, or frequently asked questions.