How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
All my life, it seems, I've been sandwiched between people who will not speak. My mother couldn't speak at the end. My youngest child Derek couldn't speak from the beginning. My sister and I almost never speak. (We exchange greeting cards.) I don't speak to cousins. (Imay never speak. In dreams I often have trouble speaking.) (5.216)
The inability to speak appears as a frequent theme in the novel. In the case of his old mother, and now with Derek, either sickness or disability has prohibited communication. Things are slightly different with the other members of the Slocum household, since even though no health reason prevents Slocum from speaking with them, they are still unable to effectively communicate.