How we cite our quotes: (Page.Paragraph)
Quote #4
I watched my fingers trembling on top of the notebook. I put my hands under my thighs. I could feel them trembling. A while later, I opened the notebook and looked again at the page. I had drawn a picture of Stalin dead in his coffin. (100.1)
Sometimes Asher's creativity surprises and frightens him. This is one of those cases. After not drawing for years, he suddenly finds himself drawing terrifying pictures of dead Stalin right after Stalin dies. Art works in mysterious ways.
Quote #5
What was a drawing in the face of the Other Side? What was a pen and paper, what were pastels, in the face of the evil of the shell? (119.1)
Asher sometimes loses faith in his own creativity, especially in his ability to use it to effect change in the world. This quote also demonstrates how powerless he feels in his creativity against the monolithic force of religion in his life.
Quote #6
I felt the street as part of my own parkway, its trees and benches and lampposts part of what I saw each day as I gazed through the window of my living room onto the world I wanted to create anew with line and color and texture and shape. (219.1)
Asher's creative mind is constantly working to redefine things in new and fascinating ways, especially the environment he grew up in. This quote perfectly describes Asher's attitude towards his surroundings: wanting to absorb them and recreate them in his paintings.