The Orange Houses Suffering Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

Mik cradled the old radio. A hip-hop symphony throbbed in her arms, rib cage, spine, neck, popped and crackled in her old aids. The low frequency notes soothed her before the song started to fade. Mik cranked up the volume, but the music slipped further and further away. Her hearing aid batteries were dying. (16.31) 

Mik's dependency on her hearing aids is clear when she can no longer hear the music playing on the radio. It makes her think twice about whether she loves her beat-up hearing aids so much. 

Quote #8

Mik clicked on the aids. If sound were color, everything was too bright. If it were a hand, it scratched the backs of Mik's eyes with sharpened nails. The metallic sizzle in her throat reminded her of the time that girl in second grade tricked her into licking the top of a nine-volt battery. (24.23) 

We love color, but we get how too much of it can be overpowering at times. For Mik, her new hearing aids are so strong that it's tricky to get used to. Even with the aids that are supposed to be an improvement, she still struggles to find the right setting and pitch. 

Quote #9

"Moms doesn't have to work so hard and nobody's lonely and nobody fears and I can hear it all pain free." She opened her eyes.

Jimmi nodded. "What all you hear, angel?"

Mik smiled. "What's real." (37.27) 

What do you think Mik means by "what's real"? It's a poetic way of looking at life, yet we want to dig a little deeper. Is she talking about the fact that she only hears things that are important, or said loudly enough? Or is she pointing out that she only turns on her hearing aids when she wants to hear something?