The Great Wide Sea Change Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"We need to get ready for tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" I asked.

"We're moving on," he said. (10.12-10.14)

Mr. Byron doesn't do a great job of keeping his sons informed about the changes he has planned.

Quote #5

I never knew from one day—or hour—to the next how things would look or what people would do or how I would feel. It was like constantly falling down. It was always a surprise. (11.3)

At home (on land), Ben felt like he knew what to expect. At sea, all bets are off.

Quote #6

School and friends, parents and brothers, my bike and the boat, and sometimes just me—just me, a wide sky, and an open space of time. It seemed like something a person could always have. It seemed like something you could depend on, something you could trust. I was wrong. (13.25-13.26)

Ben has learned that the things you rely on—the people and the stuff that seem most fundamental to your life—aren't necessarily permanent. This realization shakes him up a lot.