How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He sulkily admitted now that there was no more escape, but he lay and detested the grin of the real-estate business, and disliked his family, and disliked himself for disliking them. (1.3.2)
Like many people with jobs, Babbitt isn't always thrilled about getting up to go to work. But not only does he dislike getting up to face his job—he dislikes getting up to face his family. He knows that deep down he should like them more. But this realization just makes him dislike himself for not being a better father. It's all just one big circle of frustration.
Quote #2
She was a good woman, a kind woman, a diligent woman, but no one, save perhaps Tinka her ten-year-old, was at all interested in her or entirely aware that she was alive. (1.4.1)
Myra Babbitt, as the narrator tells us, is a good woman. But hardly anyone in the house knows that she's alive. Her husband George isn't sexually attracted to her anymore, and it's a shame to think that without this sexual attraction, he's not all that interested in her as a person. The same goes for her children (except Tinka), who think of her as a servant who cooks meals and cleans the house. It's not exactly a recipe for a fulfilling life.
Quote #3
"I swear, I feel like going off some place where I can get a little peace. I do think after a man's spent his lifetime trying to give his kids a chance and a decent education, it's pretty discouraging to hear them all the time scrapping like a bunch of hyenas." (2.2.31)
Sometimes, George Babbitt just wishes he could get away from his annoying family. All they ever seem to do is bicker, and he thinks it's a shame that there's no proper way for him to ask for some time alone. If he wants to take a vacation, it's assumed that his family will go with him.