How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He did not bother to puzzle out why exactly Liza had felt the urgent need to see him on her way back from visiting St. Bartholomew's, the preparatory school near Boston that her son would go to next fall: all he knew was that a flood of happiness foamed and rose behind the invisible barrier that was to burst open any moment now. (2.6.3)
Considering how terrible a person Liza seems like she is, it's amazing that Pnin still feels anything for her. But what do you think that "invisible barrier" is? Why do you think Pnin has a barrier to contain his happiness anyway?
Quote #2
He saw her off, and walked back through the park. To hold her, to keep her—just as she was—with her cruelty, with her vulgarity, with her blinding blue eyes, with her miserable poetry, with her fat feet, with her impure, dry, sordid, infantile soul. (2.6.37)
Like we said, Liza sucks pretty hard. So why do you think Pnin still wants to keep her close to him? Also, whose description do you think this is? Is this how Pnin sees Liza? Or is it how VN sees her?
Quote #3
All of a sudden he thought: If people are reunited in Heaven (I don't believe it, but suppose), then how shall I stop it from creeping upon me, over me, that shriveled, helpless, lame thing, her soul? But this is the earth, and I am, curiously enough, alive, and there is something in me and in life— (2.6.37)
Isn't this weird? In one moment, Pnin is supposedly thinking how much he wants to keep Liza even though she's totally awful. Then the next moment, he's freaking out over their souls being joined in the afterlife. What's going on here? Also, notice that instead of things like fat angels and floating on clouds and other stuff everyone says about heaven, Pnin's got more worries than anything else.