How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
But [he] had chosen not to know the real message that his son had mailed to him from underneath the sink. And all he could say was that he did not know. He was guilty, therefore, of innocence." (8.103)
After finding out about how Margaret abused Michael when he was a baby, Valerian is shattered. He can only wonder how he went so long without realizing what was happening. He remembers coming home and finding Michael hiding in a bathroom cabinet, but never truly understood what it was all about. Now that he can see the truth in retrospect, he feels guilty.
Quote #8
"Jadine, a girl has got to be a daughter first. She have to learn that. And if she never learns how to be a daughter, she can't never learn how to be a woman. I mean a real woman: a woman good enough for a child." (10.84)
Ondine tries to explain to her niece Jade that a girl cannot become a proper woman until she learns to accept her duty to her family and to those who are older than her. Jade is not Ondine's daughter, but Ondine has raised her as if she were. Jade wants to abandon Ondine in order to pursue her own dreams, and Ondine assures Jade that she'll never make a good mother if she can't learn to fulfill family duties.
Quote #9
"You are asking me to parent you. Please don't. I can't do that now." (10.85)
Jade can only shake her head at her aging aunt and uncle's request. They have sacrificed everything so she can pursue her dreams. But now they want her to stop everything in order to take care of them in their old age. It's a tough situation, and Jade ultimately chooses herself over her family.