How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When laborers imported from Haiti came to clear the land, clouds and fish were convinced that the world was over, that the sea-green green of the sea and the sky-blue sky of the sky were no longer permanent. (1.1)
There's a lot going on in this passage. The mention of the laborers from Haiti shows you how much the rich Valerian Street has depended on black people to clear land for him. Morrison also makes a point of showing us how much Valerian's plans tend to act against nature, forcing nature to do whatever he wants it to. The colonizing ambitions of white people still exist in the modern day. You're just most likely to see these ambitions in the way white people treat the natural world.
Quote #2
The men had already folded the earth where there had been no fold and hollowed her where there had been no hollow, which explains what happened to the river. (1.1)
Valerian doesn't really care about how he manipulates or ruins the natural world, as long as he can make it comfortable for him and his massive vacation home. The book is making a commentary here not just on Valerian, but the kind of person who would want to force nature to do his bidding. Valerian might look like a nice guy on the surface. But deep down, he has some dark, imperialist tendencies.
Quote #3
The clouds looked at each other, then broke apart in confusion. (1.2)
Even the clouds seem to dislike what Valerian is doing to the natural world of Isle des Chevaliers. Rather than being angry, though, the clouds are just confused. Why would a guy go to so much trouble just to force the world to do what he wants? The answer: because Valerian needs to constantly reassure himself that he can control his surroundings.