How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
We have had better times together, my wife and I, than we are having now; but I do not think we will have them again. (3.93)
Slocum laments over the past, a time that will never come again. Something must have happened between the Slocums that has caused them to grow apart (maybe just the passage of time?), and he looks back on the good times both with fondness and with sadness.
Quote #8
"You're some girl," I tell her admiringly, after a long, deep embrace during which we are both practically still.
"You did it," she agrees readily, with a boastful laugh, sitting astride me now and rocking back and forth. "You made me this way."
I can't believe it was all my fault. (3.117)
Though Slocum has played a huge part in how his wife feels about her life, it's not 100% his doing. She is responsible for her own happiness, too, and unfortunately, she is also in control of her own unhappiness.
Quote #9
With my wife by now, I think it no longer matters very much either way to either one of us whether I make her happy or unhappy; the difference is not so great nor the effect lasting; by now, I think we have learned how to get through the rest of our lives with each other and are both already more than halfway there. (5.98)
Slocum's marriage has transformed into mere companionship, comfort, and complacency. Void of all passion and spontaneity, the two simply coexist. Home life is something of a dance, and the two have it down almost perfectly. It's just not a very interesting or fulfilling dance.