Who said, "to err is human; to forgive, divine"? It was either Alexander Pope or John Waters… Either way, it's a quote appropriate for this book.
If to err is human, the characters in I Know This Much is True must be superhuman, because they make a ton of mistakes. Forgiveness, however, isn't one of their strong suits. For all the characters with a god complex (Thomas thinks God talks to him; Domenico thinks God chose him; Dominick thinks God is out to get him), you'd think at least one of them would try the forgiveness route to get a little closer to Him, but it's a lesson not learned until the end of the novel.
Questions About Compassion and Forgiveness
- What does it take for Dominick to forgive Ray? Refer to the text, please and thank you.
- Although Dominick seems to forgive Ray, does he forgive his mother for favoring Thomas over him? Why or why not? How can you tell?
- Why do you think Dessa forgives Dominick and remarries him?
- Why does Dominick ask Prosperine to forgive him at the end of the novel?