How we cite our quotes: (Letter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I truly suspect I never left because I was afraid I would not come back. (2.21.101)
Ames leaves Gilead a few times but never permanently. Gilead is always home. But it could be otherwise: Ames knows he'd be tempted to abandon Gilead and make a new home if he visited new, more exciting places.
Quote #8
He told me looking back on Gilead from any distance made it seem a relic, an archaism. (2.21.103)
A small town like Gilead doesn't have the hustle and bustle of big-city life. Life there moves slowly. A congregation waits for its preacher to die before building a new church, for example. After all, what's the rush? Time just seems to move more slowly there.
Quote #9
"I have become aware that we here lived within the limits of notions that were very old and even very local. I want you to understand that you do not have to be loyal to them." (2.21.103)
Ames's small-town Christian way of life is as much a home to him as Gilead itself. His father wants him to let these go, Queen Elsa-style. Do you think his father expects his son to be loyal to him and all his wishes?