How we cite our quotes:
Quote #7
Meridian found [...] that her thoughts turned with regularity and intensity to her mother, on whose account she endured wave after wave of an almost primeval guilt. (1.13.10)
At times, Meridian uses her political activism to escape from her life. This actually raises an interesting question—does Meridian ever see her parents again after leaving for Saxon? Does she feel ashamed for leaving them, as she left Eddie Jr.? Regardless, Meridian should take comfort in the fact that she's fighting for what's right.
Quote #8
It never occurred to her that her mother's and her grandmother's extreme purity of life was compelled by necessity. They had not lived in an age of choice. (1.15.41)
Meridian—and her generation as a whole—has been given more choices and opportunities than the previous generation. Some, like Anne-Marion, embrace these opportunities without giving them much thought. Meridian, on the other hand, is wracked with guilt that she might be squandering such a precious gift.
Quote #9
She [...] sat down to write each letter as if some heavy object had been attached to her knees, forcing them under her desk, as she wrote with the most galling ferocity, out of guilt and denial and rage. (1.15.48)
Meridian and Anne-Marion have an odd relationship. At first, they're the best of friends, confiding in each other and joining the Civil Rights Movement together. When Meridian gets sick, however, Anne-Marion abandons her friend out of fear. In an even stranger twist, Anne-Marion spends the rest of her life sending nasty letters to Meridian on a constant basis. It's not until this moment that we realize that Anne-Marion is ashamed of herself but doesn't know how to express it.