How we cite our quotes: Chapter, Paragraph
Quote #4
"There's this girl," I say.
I hear the TV shutting off. "Is she cute?"
"She's gorgeous. Any guy in school would die to go out with her."
"And she's interested in you?" David asks. "That's my brother!"
"No, she's not interested… yet." I take a breath. "It's hard to explain, but I think she could be interested in me… eventually." (16.18-22)
Josh is trying to explain to his brother that he might have a chance with this girl who is totally out of his league. But while he doesn't even know her yet, he readily assumes that she won't be interested in him because she's popular and he isn't.
Quote #5
Mr. Wild Thing is a senior who plays varsity football. Whenever I pass him in the hall, I get the urge to drop and do fifty push-ups. (20.41)
The Future of Us is full of these types of labels: So-and-so is on such-and-such team or in such-and-such group. This is pretty typical in high school when everyone's trying to make sense of themselves, which often involves trying to make sense of other people, too, in order to use them for comparison. Josh looks at this guy in his Peer Issues class and feels an immediate inferiority complex.
Quote #6
I have a computer in my car?Josh is going to freak out when he hears this. And if Kevin saved a life, maybe he's a doctor. Or a paramedic. Or a fireman! That'd be cool because firemen have great bodies. (30.40)
So many stereotypes… Emma is imagining what type of profession her future husband has. She can plan a certain type of life if she knows what type of category her husband will fit into. She also assumes that every single fireman has a great body, which may be a bit of a generalization—but then again, categories always fail to account for everyone in them.