Lina Mayfleet
Lina Mayfleet is on of the two main characters in Jeanne DuPrau's Ember books.
Plot
In The City of Ember, Lina is the first person mentioned, on her twelveth birthday. This is when the children are being picked to do jobs. As it so happens, Lina is one of the first ones to be picked (she got the job of Pipeworks laborer, a job she despises), and Doon Harrow is the last (he got the job of the Messenger, the job that Lina wanted). The book goes on to explain how Lina and Doon used to be friends, but they broke up as a result of Doon falling down a pole. Later, Lina switches jobs with Doon. Lina then came home to tell her grandmoter and her little sister, Poppy, the good news. (Lina's parents died in a plague.) Her grandmoter later says that she knows that there is something lost (yet she does not know what it is) and Lina and her try to find it. Soon after Lina finds the thing, a box, her granny becomes very sick and later dies. While Lina is taking care of her, Poppy opens the box and chews the Instructions for Egress inside. Lina (and Doon) have to figure out what it says. They then try to go down into the pipeworks and find out that the mayor is stealing the fastly diminishing food supply and lights. They try to tell the mayor's guards, but the tell the mayor and he tries to arrest them. Lina runs away from Doon, and gets caught by the mayor. She then tricks him and gets out. She takes Poppy and Doon down the river in the pipeworks and out of the city. She finds out that Ember is in a cave, and drops a letter to Mrs. Murdo, her guardian.
Lina has less a role in this book. Lina escapes Sparks to look for a city that partially drove her to find Ember. Lina was also considered neutral in the Sparks Ember political conflict.
Lina's Extended Family
Early on in Sparks, Lina made a list of her extended family. Here it is:
- Poppy Mayfleet
- Doon Harrow
- Mr. Harrow (Doon's father)
- Mrs. Murdo
Lina does not appear in this book.