How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
She looked again at the faces on the ward. Her presence was making then struggle with Maybes. Suddenly she realized she was a Doris Rivera, a living symbol of hope and failure and the terror they all felt of their own resiliency and hers, reeling punch-drunk from beating after beating, yet, at the secret bell, up again for more. She saw why she could never explain the nature of her failures to these people who so needed to understand it, and why she could never justify scraping together her face and strength to go out again…and again. In some ways reality was as private a kingdom as Yr." (29.99)
Deborah realizes that now she represents to the other patients what Doris had represented to her. She also realizes she won't be able to explain wanting to be a healthy part of the world to the other patients, because they don't want it enough for themselves yet. They'll know it for themselves when they get there.