How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
[Nick] fought with black incomprehension: Alan wanted a particular response from him, and he didn't know what it was. (9.183)
Here it is again—another situation where Nick knows there's something he's supposed to say or do, some gesture that would smooth things over or make everything all right, and he can't. Figure out. What it is. Sometimes it almost feels like Nick is a foreigner in a strange land where he doesn't know the language or the customs. And we feel for him.
Quote #5
Gestures like that did not come naturally to Nick, any more than comforting words did. (10.164)
Hair ruffling. Head patting. A slap on the back. They all communicate different things, and each one of them can have multiple meanings depending on how and when they're carried out. This kind of communication doesn't involve words, but it still has Nick completely baffled. Like people with Asperger's Syndrome or autism, his ability to read social cues seems to be compromised.
Quote #6
He couldn't seem to find any words, just a hollow feeling where words should have been. He opened his mouth and an odd sound came out, like a croaking bird, and he stared up at her blankly. (11.80)
Oh the words, the words—they just don't come easily to Nick, and it makes us wonder: if he can't put his thoughts and feelings into words, can he really know what it is that he's thinking and feeling?