How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
He wasn't going to flatter me into singing with him. He couldn't disappear for three years, then go all smiles and rainbows and expect the same back. (8.140)
Already abandoned (in a sense) by two mother figures, Briony feels angry toward her remaining parent for what she perceives as him abandoning her for three years. We feel kind of bad for the Reverend Larkin, though, as he tries and tries again to get close with his snarky daughter.
Quote #8
"If your stepmother really wanted you to march forth," said Eldric, "she shouldn't have accepted your—well, I won't say sacrifice." (12.61)
Nosy newcomer Eldric points out holes in Briony's story about her angel stepmother almost immediately. His insistence irritates Briony, and even causes a few fights between them, but in the end also leads to Briony's freedom.
Quote #9
Our parents teach us the very first things we learn. They teach us about hearts. What if I could be treated as though I were small again? What if I were mothered all over again? Might I get my heart back? (32.256)
This brief Briony insight speaks to the importance of family in forming a positive self identity (more on that elsewhere in this section). When Briony asks about being mothered again, she refers to the nurturing, loving relationship a mother provides to her children. Briony is not like the tin man, though—she has a physical heart, it's just super out of practice.