How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
In a way, it's like we'd been soldiers together. I wondered if he still remembered how that felt. One thing I knew for sure when I saw him after basic training was that he'd forget the old days soon enough, if he hadn't already. He was headed for a real combat zone. (12.7)
The funny thing about memory is that two people can have the exact same experience but remember it differently. Jamie wonders how TJ remembers playing war together back when they were kids. For her, it's the time she felt closest to him, but that might not be the way he remembers it.
Quote #8
"You used to be, remember?" I was scrambling, trying hard as I could to win the Colonel to my side. "Mom told us that you used to get up on the roof and jingle bells and stomp around like a reindeer." (13.19)
Trying to remind her dad of a more playful side, Jamie talks about when he used to dress up as Santa. Of course, that was back when she was a kid, though; her use of the past to make him happy in the present says a lot about the guy. Jamie thinks he'll only be himself again if things go back to the way they were.
Quote #9
"Too many memories. I look at all my negatives and I ask myself, why do I want to remember that?" (14.24)
Jamie can't understand why Byrd has so much film that he hasn't developed. He's not sure if it's good to develop photos from the war that will just remind him of all the horrible stuff he saw. Pool guy. Why would he want to relive something that he works so hard to forget?