Quote 16
Mother, who was my mother? Mother, the one who screams when you suffer – but who? This was stupid, you always knew your mother's name. Who was it that screamed? Mother? But the scream came from the machine. A machine my mother?…Clearly, I was out of my head. (11.83)
Lobotomies mess with your sense of self. Now, your turn to come up with some DHM (Deep Hidden Meaning).
Quote 17
I had no desire to destroy myself even if it destroyed the machine; I wanted freedom, not destruction. It was exhausting, for no matter what the scheme I conceived, there was one constant flaw – myself. There was no getting around it. I could no more escape than I could think of my identity. Perhaps, I thought, the two things are involved with one another. When I discover who I am, I'll be free. (11.103)
Aha! Does this mean the narrator is free at the end of novel?
Quote 18
"They're my birthmark," I said. "I yam what I am!" (13.33)
This is the first time the narrator is willing to embrace Southern food in New York, marking an important step towards uncovering his full and complex identity.