How we cite our quotes: (Story.Section.Paragraph) or (Story.Paragraph)
Quote #7
We understand when an attempt is being made to lead us into captivity, though television is a lot more subtle than slave ships. We will simply resist, as we have always done, with ever more accurate weapons of defense. (Letter.25)
Susan Marie is trying to end her letter to colleague Lucy on a conciliatory note, but not before making sure that Lucy understands how strongly she feels about this issue—which is, of course, the stereotypical depiction of slave women as somehow happy or passive about their enslavement. Susan Marie wants to make herself understood—never again will anyone get the opportunity to use Black women in this way.
Quote #8
Of course, all the "doing good" is really for yourself, nobody else. Nobody ever does anybody else any good. The good they do is for them. Altruism doesn't exist. Neither do good works. (Source.53)
Anastasia is quoting Source here as she argues with Irene. Source is clearly a fraud and a manipulator extraordinaire, but Anastasia doesn't see this for some years. At this moment, she's schooling Irene on her misery, which Anastasia says is of Irene's own making. After all, nobody told Irene to hang around smelly poor people all the time. Since Irene can't change anything, she might as well do what she can to make herself happy. That's a whole lot of mental gymnastics for one convo.
Quote #9
I think really that Source was a fascist. Only a fascist would say nobody's anything. Everybody's something. Somebody. And I couldn't feel like somebody without a color. (Source.174)
Anastasia has done a 180 in her opinion on Source, her druggy guru from her days in San Francisco. Now that she's out of his clutches, she sees what total rubbish his "philosophies" were. Of note is Source's idea that there's no such thing as race. Being biracial, Anastasia begs to differ. Her inability to find a place in society caused her a lot of misery. Irene may not agree with Anastasia's choice to "be white," but she begins to understand Anastasia's need to shape her own identity.