How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Blister sighed. "Every guy at Raynesville has wet dreams about the chick, and you avoid her like she's poison. Hey, you don't think she'll off herself like Amy, do you?"
I stopped and he took several more steps before realizing I wasn't by his side any longer. He glanced back at me. His face melted when he saw my expression. "Sorry, Bro, I didn't mean—"
"Too late, you said it." I stormed past him. "And if you think self-centered Katrina would kill herself because of me, then you don't know her at all." (5.27-29)
Even Jake's best friend thinks he was behind Amy's death. That's rough. This is also a pretty interesting comment: Jake doesn't seem to think that Amy is self-centered even though he believes she took her own life. Is he right? Is suicide a selfless act?
Quote #5
Side note: something is wrong with Ryan Wilford. I mean he has always looked small and frail like the guy only gets scraps of food at home, and he has those blue veins that are visible through the pale skin on his temples. In elementary school, those veins used to gross me out so much I didn't like to sit near him in the cafeteria. But today he looked smaller than usual. Almost like he was shrinking in on himself. He was sitting alone like always in the lunch quad with his shoulders hunched up around his ears, but when he went to put a chip in his mouth, I saw that his hand was shaking. Nobody ever seems to notice the guy, but I do. He's like that stray, little dog you pass on the side of the road, and you can't get it out of your mind. I'd never seen his hands shake. (8.28)
Our other glimpse at death in this novel is Ryan Wilford, who appears to be dying of cancer. People have the same view about him as they do of Amy, treating him like he's invisible instead of trying to reach out to him while he's alive. Poor guy.
Quote #6
"But religion helps us to face our own mortality." I spoke to her like she was the only person in the room.
She stared at me through a curtain of razor cut bangs. "I agree. Religion is a wonderful pacifier for people who are afraid of death. Every religion—"
"We're all afraid of death," I interrupted.
Our eyes locked again. Then she pulled her gaze from mine and faced the front of the room. I fell back against my seat as if I had been released from a giant magnet.
Dermott glanced at me then his eyes fell on her. "Well, do you agree with him, Dani?"
"Yes, we're all afraid of death, but we all have different levels of acceptance." She paused. "Some people even search out death." She stopped and I could see her close her eyes for a second like she blinked back tears. (11.20-25)
This is a pretty intense conversation for a high school classroom. Is Jake right? Does religion help us deal with death? Do we feel better about shuffling off this mortal coil if we think there's something waiting? Are we really all afraid of death? Gah—deep questions.