How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
There were some kind of little animals too, like mongooses. You would know what they are. I'm happy to be in a jungle again. You know me, I'm always cheered by the sight of houseplants growing wild and fifty feet tall. (9.72)
It's interesting to note that Hallie also ascribes to Codi's idea that the two of them sort of split the world down the middle. On the other hand, everything in the world is interrelated, so the idea of opposites my just be an illusion.
Quote #5
Jack got up and went to the courtyard wall. He stood as still as a rock fence except for one back leg, which trembled, betraying all the contained force of whatever it was he wanted to do just then, but couldn't. After a minute he came back to Loyd's feet, turned his body in a tight circle two or three times, and lay down with a soft moan.
"Why do they do that? Turn in circles like that?" I asked. I'd never lived with a dog and was slightly infatuated with Jack.
"Beating down the tall grass to make a nice little nest," Loyd said. "Even if there's no tall grass."
"Well, I guess that makes sense, from a dog's point of view."
"Sure it does." He bent forward to scratch Jack between the ears. "We take these good, smart animals and put them in a house and then wonder why they keep on doing the stuff that made them happy for a million years. A dog can't think that much about what he's doing, he just does that feels right." (9.109-113)
See, even Jack knows how to make a better nest than Codi. She has a lot to learn from this highly symbolic dog.
Quote #6
"We're like coyotes," he said. "Get to a good place, turn around three times in the grass and you're home. Once you know how, you can always do that no matter what. You won't forget." I thought of Inez's copious knickknacks and suspected Loyd was idealizing a bit. (19.84-5)
There's tension here between the human and the animal. It might be good to be like a coyote and be able to make home wherever you find it, but we also know that this very thing is sort of Codi's problem: she just turns around in the grass and calls it home without really ever feeling at home. Humans might need something more, and at this point, Codi still hasn't figured out what that is for her.