How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"And so I became Marisol Guzman, Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Cambridge, Massachusetts, rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin looking for love." (1.52)
From the get-go, Marisol knows who she is. Or at least, she claims to. But can she really be summed up with this list of adjectives? For example, later on, she mocks the idea that everyone at her school is "gifted and talented." It looks like her identity isn't as stable as she tries to make it out to be.
Quote #2
"I'm not gay," I told her, though I really had no strong evidence for saying so. "At least I don't think I am."
"There are other closets." (2.66)
It turns out John isn't gay, but he is lying to himself and others about who he is and what he thinks. He barely interacts with anyone except for Marisol, and generally hides inside the world of his writing. He isn't up front with his parents about how he feels about their divorce, or how it makes him feel about love.
Quote #3
"I need to figure out what it all means by myself. I need to have a world that is not open to my mother. I need to cross barriers by myself, not holding her hand." (4.11)
We get it: Marisol wants to learn about herself and her desires without her mom breathing down her neck. We can't say we blame her, yet we can't help but wonder whether she's guilty of hiding herself, just like John. If she wants her mom to back off, why doesn't she just tell her?