How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I never said good-bye. I was not there.
I did nothing in her final hours but cause her pain. (19.43-44)
True dat. Not only did she hurt Beth, but Jed and the boys too. Not cool.
Quote #8
I wrap my arms around my body, imagining what it must have been like for Jed. Imagining being responsible for the person I loved most becoming infected. (20.12)
Oh, foreshadowing, we love you. Mary has to feel these very feelings just a few weeks later when both Jed and Travis die as a direct result of helping Mary. Ouch.
Quote #9
As the days wear on I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. […] Are we the only survivors? […] Have I killed us by insisting we continue through the Forest? If we had returned to the village could we have made a difference in the fight against the Unconsecrated? Should we have turned back? Taken a different branch in the path?
Am I responsible for the final fall of mankind? (21.25-26)
These are some pretty tough questions, and the worst part about them (and most what-if questions we have to deal with generally in life) is that there isn't a clear answer. Most of the time we'll never know what might have been. Thankfully, Mary realizes that her last question is untrue. Whew—talk about taking the weight of the world off her shoulders.