What order do you think the Quagmire triplets were born in?

[doetwin]

I think the order is Duncan, then Isadora, then Quigley for several reasons.

This is the order that they fall in alphabetically, and V.F.D. does seem to put a lot of emphasis on letters. I understand this isn't the case with the Baudelaires, but it does seem to be the case with the Snickets and it wouldn't surprise me if it were the case with the Quagmire triplets.

When the Quagmire mansion catches on fire, Mrs. Quagmire gets Quigley under the trap door to safety before Duncan and Isadora. It's typical of parents to worry the most about the safety of their youngest child. I understand that we're talking about a matter of minutes, but it still may have factored into her decision to save Quigley first.

When Carmelita Spats and her friends are ridiculing the Baudeliares in the cafeteria on their first day, It's Duncan who gets up from the table, stands up to Carmelita Spats, and tells the Baudelaires that they can join him and Isadora. The reason that Duncan took the initiative instead of Isadora may have been because he's older. We see how among the Baudelaires, it's usually Violet who initiates. It's her idea to go to the Reptile Room to prove Stephano's guilt, it's her idea to eat the peppermints, it's her idea to pretend not to recognize Coach Genghis, and so on.

Throughout TAA, TEE, and TVV, Quigley's siblings are referred to as "Duncan and Isadora" rather than "Isadora and Duncan". This might be Snicket's secret way of telling us that Duncan's older.

In TSS, Quigley is referred to as "the third Quagmire triplet", which again, may be Snicket's way of telling us that he's the youngest.

What do you think?

[lorelai]

I like your explanation. Plus, Quigley being the youngest fits with the theme of both ASOUE and ATWQ where the "babies" seem to take on more dangerous tasks or end up worrying their siblings (and parents, were they alive) with what they're having to cope with--Sunny spying on Olaf and her decision to set the fire in TSS and TPP respectively come to mind, and the Kit in Lemony's head often encourages her "baby brother" or wants him to stop burdening himself. Quigley's adventures seem to fit the bill.
I'd like to point out though that Quigley was the only child at home during the fire, so Mrs. Quagmire's concern had nothing to do with the safety of her youngest.

[Dante]

Ah, do we actually know where Duncan and Isadora were during the fire? I don't remember any particular references as to how they escaped with such ease while their sibling and parents did not; in fact, reviewing Quigley's story in TSS, it appears to be implied that his siblings were indeed inside the house (p. 159).

As to what order they were born in, I've never been able to fathom why people ascribe any importance to a difference of less than twenty-four hours. The Quagmires themselves certainly never do.

[Hermes]

I think that the way Quigley is referred to as 'the survivor of the fire' rather implies that the other children were not there; if they had been in the house at the time of the fire, they would be survivors too. Perhaps D and I were actually out, but their mother didn't know this?

[lorelai]

Yes, Hermes, this is what I think. Sorry for not being clearer before! Also, Duncan implies in TAA that he and Isadora only saw the fire, "I couldn't even look at stoves.", as opposed to saying something like, "For a while I wouldn't go near stoves." if he'd actually dealt with the flames or smoke inhalation, which could explain Quigley's remark in his story about hearing his siblings scream. His mother went to fetch them--depending on how close the library was to any outside doors or the source of the fire, she may have reasoned it was easier to get them all under the trapdoor than outtside--, knowing they were heading inside, but probably died before getting to them, and Quigley heard D and I's screams as the house was engulfed.

[Charlie]

I thought Dunc was at journalism and Isa at poetry class? Or maybe that was fanfic I read idk

[Dante]

I think that was just part of a discussion on Quigley's part of the separate ways they were educated; whenever Quigley was learning cartography, Isadora was with a poetry tutor and Duncan in a journalism class, or something like that. I don't think it related to their whereabouts during the fire.

[ghostie]

I think a more likely reason for snicket favoring "Duncan and Isadora" over "Isadora and Duncan" is to keep the Isadora Duncan reference more subtle.

[gliquey]

Feb 29, 2016 10:42:45 GMT -5 ghostie said:

I think a more likely reason for snicket favoring "Duncan and Isadora" over "Isadora and Duncan" is to keep the Isadora Duncan reference more subtle.

I think that's quite a good explanation.

But I think all of these ideas are quite tenuous - we don't really have any indication which order the triplets were born in. I think Quigley is seen as the third triplet because he's introduced third and because Duncan and Isadora are never seen without each other. I do think that there would be a certain aesthetic symmetry if he was the youngest though: I often think of the Baudelaires in terms of Violet and Klaus, and Sunny; I see the Quagmires as Duncan and Isadora, and Quigley.

And for the record, I have always been of the opinion that Mrs. Quagmire believed Duncan and Isadora were at home during the fire, but she was mistaken - and the fact she was searching for people who weren't there could explain why she never returned to Quigley in time.

[lorelai]

Your view about Mrs. Quagmire certainly fits the tragic theme of ASOUE, and is very appealing to me. And I think in a way we're all responding to the aesthetic of two older children, and the youngest that's portrayed with Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, and the order of the Quagmires.

[J-Bird]

Sorry to interrupt, but what does the order of birth have to do with anything?

[lorelai]

Well I can't speak for Doetwin, but coming to even a fan consensus would determine their ages, such as they are, which is the topic of the thread below this one for Sunny.
To get back on topic, what do you think of the order being flipped; Quigley's the oldest and Duncan's the youngest with Isadora in the middle as she is in what we've agreed on? I'm just throwing it out there, but you could interpret Quigley's resilience as a result of being the caretaker of the group, mirroring Violet.`

[volunteerliterature]

i think that the oldest is Quigley, followed by Duncan, then Isaodra. i think this because Quigley, you have to admit, is more recoursefull than duncan and isadora. he is nature freak boy; and can survive on his own where as duncan and isadora and even the baudelaires rely on eachother. this kind of seems like an older brothery trait, not younger. maybe the reason duncan and isadora are the ones who are always together is because they are the younger two and need echother more. also, i think that it goes duncan and then isaodra because duncan is usually the spokesperson to people other than the baudelaires. quigley is also in a relationship with violet, who is the eldest baudelaire, which might be why she fell more for him than for duncan (whom i honestly feel bad for).
And to answer your argument about the quagmire fire, it says that QUIGLEY and MRS. QUAGMIRE are in the LIBARARY, alone TOGETHER. when the fire breaks out, she outs him in the trapdoor first; not because he's youngest but because he's closest. she says, "stay right there while I go get your siblings" and left. quigley remarks to the baudelaires that he could hear his parents yelling and his siblings screaming while he waits. this means that duncan and isadora were in the house, just not in the library. hours later, he tries to get in, but something has fallen on the door and he can't get out. he follows the tunnel to Dr. Montgomery's and meets jaques snicket. it isn't until Duncan and Isaodra's kidnapping is mentioned in the newspaper does he learn that they are alive.
Therefore, I think that it goes Quigley, Duncan, then Isaodra. Maybe it's isaodra then duncan, but whatever the case I think that quigley is oldest.

[bear]

have u ever considered that duncan and isadora trapped in the fowl fountain is like, how they lived in the womb together.....

[Foxy]

I think quite commonly when someone is pregnant with multiple babies, the doctor performs a c-section. So maybe they were all born at the exact same time?