How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #7
One moment he was dedicated and pure and devoted; the next he wallowed in filth; and the next he groveled in shame and emerged rededicated. (38.4.2)
The he in this case is a teenage Cal, who's got some raging hormones and a lot of uncertainty. It's a recipe for confusion. Part of the problem is that Cal is trying to figure out who he is, i.e. whether he is good or evil. While this is not a question that most people ask themselves, in Cal's case he feels like he is constantly fighting himself not to be evil. Like many of the other characters in the novel, he thinks that people are either/or. But as this passage shows, Cal is obviously both, as one would realistically expect.
Quote #8
"He's made someone up and it's like he put my skin on her. I'm not like that—not like the made-up one."
"What's she like?"
"Pure!" said Abra. "Just absolutely pure. Nothing but pure—never a bad thing. I'm not like that."
"Nobody is," said Lee. (44.1.43-46)
Yikes. Who wants to be put to that kind of standard? Abra's really sharp to recognize that the all-good Virgin Mary Aron has made her into has nothing to do with the reality of Abra at all. Translation: Abra sees being both good and bad as part of her personality. If she were to try and be all good and pure, she wouldn't be Abra; part of what makes her who she is is her nuances. So Aron isn't actually in love with Abra at all. And as Lee points out, there is no one in the world who could live up to Aron's expectations. He has pretty much guaranteed for himself the surprise of a lifetime.
Quote #9
"Did you ever think of yourself as a snot-nose kid—mean sometimes, incredibly generous sometimes? Dirty in your habits, and curiously pure in your mind. Maybe you have a little more energy than most, just energy, but outside of that you're very like all the other snot-nose kids. Are you trying to attract dignity and tragedy to yourself because your mother was a whore?" (51.2.50)
Remember how earlier when Cal is grappling with puberty he waffles between being good and being bad? Well here is Lee, giving him some straight-talk: You're both, he says, and that's okay, because so is everybody. Get over yourself. But it's no wonder that Cal holds this view of the world: after all, his family consists of bad-to-the-bone Kate on the one hand, and not-a-bad-bone-in-his-body Aron on the other.