How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I watched him walk through the downpour to the school entrance. He moved with deliberate slowness, taking off his camouflage cap ten yards from the doorway. At such moments I find I love him with an animal desperation, a need to take him under my coat and crush him to my chest, keep him there, protect him. (6.44)
After a frustration conversation with Heinrich, Jack watches Heinrich walk off into the rain on his way to school. Heinrich seems like he might be a bit of a independent loner. Who knows? He might also be depressed. Jack doesn't know, but he still has a strong fatherly impulse to protect and take care of his son.
Quote #8
Steffie was holding my hand in a way I'd come to realize, over a period of time, was not meant to be gently possessive, as I'd thought at first, but reassuring. I was a little astonished. A firm grip that would help me restore confidence in myself, keep me from becoming resigned to whatever melancholy moods she thought she detected hovering about my person. (9.42)
Jack can't seem to come to the full realization that his kids parent him more than the other way around. In this scene, Steffie actually seems to sense how insecure Jack is, and she takes his hand to reassure him. The act shocks Jack when he realizes what her gesture is supposed to mean. In this book, adults often seem like children and children seem like adults.
Quote #9
We crowded before the window in Steffie's small room, watching the spectacular sunset. Only Heinrich stayed away, either because he distrusted wholesome communal pleasures or because he believed there was something ominous in the modern sunset. (14.1)
Awww, ain't that cute. The family likes to gather around a bedroom window to watch a sunset together. Fourteen-year-old Heinrich is nowhere to be found, though. He doesn't really like the sunsets in the town of Blacksmith, possibly because their beauty comes from the insane air pollution in the area. Or maybe he's just too much of a loner to appreciate family togetherness. There's nothing surprising about that, though. Fourteen-year-olds have been known to appreciate their alone time.