How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
Within him, Manjiro knew, beat a heart scoured by sand, pounded by waves, burned by sun, and polished by rain and wind. It would always be the simple heart of a fisherman, but perhaps it had also become the mighty heart of a samurai. (5.41.18)
Ding, ding, ding… This is one of those major moments in the novel. How can we tell? It features the title of the novel in a sentence. Anytime a book does that, you just know the passage has to be significant.
In this case, Manjiro's back at home in Japan. He doesn't know yet whether he's going to be locked up in jail because he's spent time on foreign land or if he's going to be rewarded for all his knowledge of the West. He's just who he is—the same guy as at the beginning of the book, a person with faith in his own simple, good-hearted identity. And that is what gives him (and us) hope for his fate.