How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #10
A curious basketlike net, somewhat like a glorified billiard pocket—lacking, however, a bottom—was suspended for some reason above the garage door, upon the white of which it cast a shadow as distinct as its own weave but larger and in a bluer tone. (6.4.3)
This is kind of like the last straw. Obviously, the narrator is describing a basketball net in a way that lets us understand Pnin doesn't have any idea what it is at all. We say it's the last straw because, even in his new home where Pnin feels totally at ease there is an element of American culture that continues to point out his status as a foreigner who just doesn't get it.