How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[Nicholas] spotted a hummingbird. It buzzed around the red tubes of a potted penstamon that stood by itself in the center of the courtyard. His eyes followed the bird as it darted up and down, a high-strung gem; Nicholas wanted it. For a long time he frowned at the brick path that lay between himself and the bird, and then he let go of the wall. He took one step and then more, buoyed up by some impossible anti-gravity. After two steps the hummingbird was gone, but Nicholas still headed for the air it had occupied, his hands grasping at vapor. (22.18)
On the one hand, here's a perfect scene of the human as animal, headed for the shiny thing. On the other hand, the hummingbird might represent something more—if it's the shining goal that Hallie went down to Nicaragua to follow, does that mean her sacrifice is worth it even if the revolution she was aiming for doesn't succeed?
Quote #2
I felt like a baby being coaxed, reluctantly, into dreamland. A few yards away, Jack was already there. His legs jerked helplessly, making him look vulnerable.
[...]
"What's Jack dreaming about?"
"Chasing rabbits," Loyd said.
"That's what everybody says, but I don't think all dogs dream about that. You watch a city dog that's never even heard of a rabbit—it'll do the same thing."
"How do you know they really dream?"
"They do. All mammals that have been tested have REM sleep, except spiny anteaters." [...]
Loyd asked, "What do you think animals dream about?"
"I don't know. Animal Heaven." I laughed.
"I think they dream about whatever they do when they're awake. Jack chases rabbits, and city dogs chase, I don't know what. Meter readers."
"But that's kind of sad. Couldn't a dog have an imagination, like a person?"
"It's the same with people. There's nothing sad about it. God, when I used to work for Tia sorting the pecans I'd go to sleep and dream about pecans, pecans, pecans." (12.140-155)
This is where we discover that Loyd is the perfect man—which is to say, he's a lot like his perfect dog: he dreams about what he does all day.
Quote #3
I've studied a lot of biology; I quickly figured out that this industry was built around a bird's natural impulse for territorial defense, and that's where it broke down. No animal has reason to fight its own kind to the death. A rooster will defend his ground, but once that's established, he's done. After that he tends to walk around ignoring the bizarre surroundings and all the people who have next month's rent riding on him and he'll just act like a chicken—the animal that he is. The handlers had to keep taking the birds firmly in hand, squaring them off and trying to force the fight. (16.144)
Kingsolver talks a lot in this book about the day-to-day things animals do under normal circumstances. In fact, these actions sort of a moral yardstick for the human actions in this book. So, is it the fact that cockfighting involves pushing the animals beyond their natural impulses that makes cockfighting wrong? Or is this scene making a larger point about the unnaturalness of all violence, human violence included?