How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
"You had better go home," I said, nudging him. "What will your poor mother think if you stay here all night?"
"I have no mother, poor or otherwise," he said. "There is no one to worry about me and none to worry me either, which is a good thing," and turning on his side he fell instantly asleep. (27.54)
It’s funny that after declaring he likes to be without an anchor in the world, Puli becomes attached to the old couple. Ruku’s narration makes it seem like they depend on him more than he does on them. In the end, however, Puli returns to the village with Ruku. Though the boy is without an actual dwelling, he finds something of a home in the care and love of Rukmani and Nathan.
Quote #11
"You are too young to understand," said Nathan. "This is not my home, I can never live here." (27.125)
Nathan links his notion of home to his age. Strictly speaking, Nathan doesn’t actually have a home to return to – no land belongs to him, and his hut is no longer a roof for his head. Home is metaphorical, more a memory from a past time than any certainty Nathan actually has to return to.