Final Exam Quotes
"Some people could look at a mud-puddle and see an ocean with ships. But Nanny belonged to that other kind that loved to deal in scraps. Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon—for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you—and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter's neck tight enough to choke her. She hated the old woman who had twisted her so in the name of love."
Speaker: Janie Context: After Joe dies, Janie debates what to do with her life and begins to think about her grandmother. In this passage, she reveals that she hated her grandmother for ruining her dreams and love for her. Janie's choice of language articulates her frustration with her grandmother, who she believes ruined her dreams. The use of the metaphor of the horizon suggests that Nanny took away all that seemed possible to Janie, which was the "horizon". This quotes sheds light on the power dynamic in relationships, in this case between grandmother and daughter. Nanny had so much control over Janie that he made her lose sight of her dreams and gave her the wrong impression of love. This is obviously unhealthy, as Nanny asserted too much power over Janie in this relationship to make her believe those things. This also speaks on the theme of silence, as Janie was completely silent during her relationship with Nanny and did not stand up for herself. Now, we know that Janie has evolved from that young girl into a woman who can know assert what she wants.
"The wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time. They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."
Speaker: Narrator Context: During a storm, Tea Cake and Janie are debating whether they could leave like everybody else or stay. From the tone of this quote, the reader can tell that the characters are in awe of the power of God and feel humbled by what He can do. This quote sheds light on the theme of power, as this is something Janie has struggled with in her relationships. This quote symbolizes that the only person who truly has power over Janie at this moment his God, who is more powerful than any of her husbands. From this quote, we know that Janie has finally found a sense of inner peace for herself, as she only allows God to have power over her.
"The town had a basketful of feeling good and bad about Joe's positions and possessions, but none had the temerity to challenge him. They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town bowed down"
Speaker: Narrator Context: Townspeople are discussing Joe and Janie and whether they are doing good for the town and their leadership styles. The use of the words "bow" show how much power Joe had over the town a paint him as a tyrant. This moment sheds light on what is being asserted, which is power and silence. At this moment, Joe has so much power over the town, but the town does not voice their opinion and feel like they have lost their voice. This is similar to Janie and Joe's relationship, as Joe took away his wife's voice. This quote warns that giving away power is never a healthy thing and no person should have so much power that they cause another to lose their voice.
"A good war story, he thought, but it was not a war for war stories, nor for talk of valor, and nobody in town wanted to know about the terrible stink. They wanted good intentions and good deeds. But the town was not to blame, really. It was a nice little town, very prosperous, with neat houses and all the sanitary conveniences."
Speaker: Tim O'Brien about Norman Bowker Context: After Kiowa died, Bowker felt immense guilt for his actions. He is disappointed for not winning a silver star. Here, he is remembering the course of events that happened that led to the death and is regretting it. The "terrible sink" that the quotes describes is the truth of war. This quote touches on a theme that is asserted throughout the novel, which is the true nature of war. It is important because it shows that war is not as it is made to seem with all the stories that are told with the "good intentions and good deeds" but is actually . place where bad things happen. This quote speaks on the theme of truth because it shows that the true nature of war is not shown from the types of stories that are told
"Okay, Troy. . .you're right. I'll take care of your baby for you. . .cause. . .like you say. . .she's innocent. . . and you can't visit the sins of the father upon the child. A motherless child has got a hard time. From right now. . .this child got a mother. But you a womanless man. "
1. Speaker is Rose 2. Context: After Raynell was born and her mother Alberta died, Rose agreed to help Troy with the responsibility, although she makes it clear that they are not together anymore. 3. Rose's choice of language articulates her frustration with Troy and her unhappiness with the situation. This particular quote sheds a light on responsibility, which is a larger theme throughout the novel. Rose is motivated by family and is releasing her anger that has been built throughout the novel to Troy. She makes it clear that she is only staying involved in the family because of Raynell, and in this way finally makes him take responsibility for his actions. The word choice of motherless and womanless reflect a sense of loss, which is Troy is loosing Rose.
"...Sometimes I want to eat this place. The whole country—the dirt, the death—I just want to swallow it and have it there inside me. That's how I feel. It's like this appetite"
Speaker: Mary Anne Context: In this scene, Mary Anne is talking to Mark Fossie about her experience in Vietnam after being with the Greenies The "appetite" Mary Anne describes in herself is the start of PTSD. Before she came to Vietnam, she was a completely different person, but changed with the war. Through her words, we can see that her whole belief system hs changes and she is no longer who she once was. This quote sheds light on how PTSD can affect anyone, even the unsuspecting. Even though the story about a young woman in the war is probably is probably untrue, the story has more impact because of its improbability. With this story, we can truly see that PTSD can change anyone, even an innocent young girl.
"All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshipped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood."
Speaker: Narrator Context: Mrs. Turner explained that she views people of different "blackness" differently and thinks that the ore white a person is, the more superior they are. She looks up to Janie because she is more white than herself, and wishes that she could be a white woman, as she believes they are superior. The use of the comparison to white people to gods tells the reader how superior Mrs. Turner thinks of white people. This sheds light on the overall theme of race in the book because here it shows that a black person is racist against other black people. This quote shows an important fact that is not talked about, which is that some black people used to think of whites as real gods.
"Without the grounding reality, it's just a trite bit of puffery, pure Hollywood, untrue in the way all such stories are untrue. Yet even if it did happen—and maybe it did, anything's possible—even then you know it can't be true, because. . .absolute occurrence is irrelevant. A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may happen and be truer than the truth. "
Speaker: Tim O'Brien Context: Here, Tim tells a war story about one guy jumping on a grenade to save three of his friends. When asked whether it is true, O'Brien discusses what it means for a war story to be true. The words "truer than the truth" suggest that something that didn't happen is more accurate than something that did happen. This suggests that real events do not always articulate the true emotion of an experience. The use of the word Hollywood makes the reader think of fiction, which is exactly what the author is saying is true. This passage is important because it speaks to the larger theme of truth, which is prevalent throughout the novel. It shows that something can be true and untrue at the same time, and that something that is untrue can have more emotional impact than something that is true. By creating stories, authors know how to target an audience and what they want to hear in order to get an emotional reaction.
They used a hard vocabulary to contain the terrible softness. Greased they'd say. Offed, lit up, zapped while zipping. It was cruelty, just stage presence. They were actors. When someone died, it wasn't quite dying, because in a curious way it seemed scripted, and because they had their lines mostly memorized, irony mixed with tragedy, and because they called it by other names, as if to encyst and destroy they reality of death itself.
Speaker: Tim O'Brien Context: Ted Lavender has died and the men are discussing their death in a casual way. This quote, Tim O'Brien is explaining how they are covering up their loss of their friend and is meditating on why they do this Words: Scripted, "irony mixed with tragedy", hard vocabulary. Death is shown throughout the novel. The power of language in stories is shown here, as in other places in the book, to suppress and. Additionally, PTSD and emotional issues are dealt with here, and this is not a good way to deal with trauma. Tim O'Brien tells stories to cope, and Norman Bowker is unable to.
"Courage was not always a matter of yes or no. Sometimes it came in degrees, like the cold; sometimes you were very brave up to a point and then beyond that point you were not so brave. . . Sometimes, like that night in the shit field, the difference between courage and cowardice was something small and stupid."
Speaker: Tim O'Brien (about Norman Bowker) Context: After Kiowa died, Bowker felt immense guilt for his actions. He is disappointed for not winning a silver star. He wonders if he had courage the moment Kiowa died, and here Tim O'Brien is discussing what courage truly is. The metaphor of courage being like the cold suggests that we choose when and how much courage we exert at a certain point. Throughout the novel, responsibility is a theme, and in this quote Norman Bowker feels responsible for how much courage he had on the day Kiowa died.
"Maybe I come into the world backwards, I don't know. But. . . you born with two strikes on you before you come to the plate. You got to guard it closely. . . always looking for the curve-ball on the inside corner. You can't afford to let none get past you. You can't afford a call strike. If you going down. . . you going down swinging. "
Speaker: Troy Context: After finding out her husband had an affair and is having a child with another woman, Rose asks her husband why he felt the need to have an affair. The specific word choice of baseball metaphors shows that life is like a game and you must treat it accordingly. This moment tells a lot about the main character, Troy and his philosophy. When he says "if you going down... you going down swinging, it shows that Troy believes to do what is right for you at the moment, regardless of the consequences. This gets him into trouble in life, especially when he cheats on his wife. This quotes speaks to the overall theme of dissatisfaction, as Troy is dissatisfied with his life, which is why he decides to cheat on his wife.
"Don't you try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. "
Speaker: Troy Context: Cory asks his dad why he never liked him, to which he responds that it doesn't matter if he likes him because it his job to be his father and it is his responsibility to take care of him. From the imperative tone of the quote, it can be inferred that making sure someone likes you is not a priority in life, but it is instead more important to make sure that you get what you need from them. This quote speaks on responsibility, which is a major theme in the play. The quote is saying that a person is responsible for making sure they get what they need from a person. This quote is important because it tells us a lot about the speaker, Troy. This selfish attitude of making sure he gets what he needs tells the reader a lot about his character and makes him seem like an unkind person.
