How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Mother touched my arm and said with a sad smile, "This week, I think you finally leave your childhood behind." And with that she got on with the job, and I too. (5.11)
Childhood complete, Geertrui's adulthood begins. Geertrui's mom tells her she's an adult when she has to help clean parts of Jacob's body she's never seen before. This makes us think that being an adult is really just a mentality—if someone can proclaim you an adult, and that's all it takes, then it must just be in our minds.
Quote #5
The old often say they remember their youth more clearly than the day before yesterday. But this is not it. I know these things because those few days and the few weeks that followed them were such an intensity of living, so much more than any other time of my life, that they are unforgettable. (5.28)
Geertrui tells us that she had such a passionate time in her youth that she remembers it so clearly. It seems like she remembers it more because it deals with the love of her life (Jacob) than because she was young and free.
Quote #6
Indeed, he was secretly pleased. He had grown up there, it belonged to his childhood. He regarded leaving it as the end of his childhood. By giving it up he had taken the next step towards becoming adult, a person in charge of himself. And achieving that state was something he had always wanted for as long as he could remember. (11.58)
Jacob wants to grow up and be in charge of his own life, but we can't help but wonder if he really knows what this means. Sure, moving in with grandma is a big step, but when Jacob shows up in Amsterdam, he's clueless and naïve—just like a kid.