American Pastoral Guilt and Blame Quotes

One might expect a more medically accurate statement from hot-shot cardiac surgeon Jerry Levov. He's close though, at least on one level. Merry tells the Swede that working with bombs made her stop stuttering.

The first thing Zuckerman thinks the Swede might have done to feel guilty about is the questionable kiss that the Swede gives Merry. It's not just kissing her that makes him feel guilty, however, but also the way he physically withdrew from her afterwards. As far as we know, this is one thing the Swede and Merry never discuss.

Merry's psychiatrist is blaming Merry for her stuttering. He claims it's a reaction against having two extraordinarily good-looking and successful parents.