How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
The world needs something from each of us, and what the world needs from you is gnomes and whirligigs and furniture. (575)
Mr. Jacks may or may not believe that what the world really needs from Will is gnomes, but perhaps gnomes and such aren't really what Mr. Jacks is talking about. Maybe what he really means is that the world needs Will.
Quote #2
What is wrong with people that they are doomed to repeat what has come before? Helpless? Is that what they believe? That they are locked into a pattern of behavior that was established perhaps before they were born? (410)
Do you think Will is really talking about other people here? Or does it seem more like he's talking about himself? After all, while he isn't repeating his parents' mistakes, per say, he is carrying them forward in his refusal to move on with his life.
Quote #3
A gnome is a gnome is a gnome. (556)
Despite Mr. Jacks's enthusiasm for his gnomes, Will just can't seem to muster any himself. And yet he makes them over and over again. Will may wonder about the purpose of his life, but that doesn't mean he isn't living it out at the same time he wonders what it is.