How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"I just know. I read Mary McCarthy."
"That's exactly right. That's just what I'd feel like. Somebody out of her." (6.104)
Brenda and Neil are talking about a story called "Dottie Makes an Honest Woman Out of Herself" by Mary McCarthy, the first story to feature a man pressuring a woman into getting a diaphragm. Brenda is simply resisting her literary heritage! For more on this important quote, go to her "Character" page for more analysis.
Quote #5
"Neil, I called Margaret Sanger Clinic. […] Neil, they did ask if I was married. God, the woman sounded like my mother." (6.263-6.265)
As we learn when Brenda's mother finds the diaphragm, Mrs. Patimkin is very against sex before marriage, in part because of her religious beliefs. As the story unfolds, we learn that Mrs. Patimkin is very devout and has a strict moral code.
Quote #6
"I'll come with you."
"To the office?"
"Sweetie, your husband wouldn't come to the office." (6.281-283)
How Al Bundy of you, Neil! This is one of those moments of ironic hilarity Roth is famous for. Neil is just as nervous as Brenda about going to a gynecologist. He's reinforcing what might be considered "traditional" gender roles, while trying to make Brenda an "independent" woman who can get birth control on her own. Of course, he completely ignores Brenda's wishes throughout.