How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Of one thing, Edgar was certain. He would not be crushed with the mob. He had been a banker all his life and that was the way he was going to die, a banker. (5.236)
Not everyone is capable of transformation in the face of crisis, however. Edgar Quisenberry, for example, sees the only transformation in his future as a nasty one—from a big-wig banker, the most prosperous man in town, to just another guy struggling to put food on the table. He refuses to live with such an extreme demotion.
Quote #5
"I'm not much of a success, am I, in time of crisis? [...] I wish I had enough guts to swim out into the channel and sink." (7.212)
Bill almost falls into the same trap of self-pity as Edgar Quisenberry, his agony over his wife's death and sudden lack of resources nearly overwhelming him. But don't you worry. Old Billy boy has a trick or two up his sleeve yet.
Quote #6
As she dug, her stature increased in Randy's eyes. She was like a fine sword, slender and flexible, but steel: a woman of courage. (7.253)
Like her beau, Lib doesn't allow herself to be destroyed by the nuclear apocalypse—she makes it strengthen her. As a result, Randy gains a new appreciation for Lib as a person, seeing her not simply as a charming, attractive woman, but as a truly tough one.