How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"This is a big house," he said. "You could turn it into a boarding house."
I made a tired gesture.
"You could let rooms to students," he went on relentlessly. (1.35-37)
Vercueil points out that Mrs. Curren has plenty of rooms to spare and could give other people a nice place to live. This is a great example of the divide we see between Mrs. Curren's view of her home as a private place and (seemingly) everyone else's attitude that she should give other people somewhere to crash since she has plenty of space.
Quote #2
"He must go home," I said. "This is getting too much for me. I can't have brawling in my backyard. I can't have strangers walking in and out." (2.74)
Mrs. Curren's home is often anything but a safe, quiet space. Here, we see how she feels like she's losing control over her own domain.
Quote #3
"Very well," I said, "I will not make that mistake again. But I cannot turn my home into a haven for all the children running away from the townships.
"But why not?" asked Florence, leaning forward. "Why not?" (2.134-135)
Florence and Mrs. Curren have a lot of differing opinions, but this is a particularly interesting conflict. Florence and her family are basically living at Mrs. Curren's place and Florence's son, Bheki, brings in a friend who creates a lot of disturbances. Mrs. Curren sees this as an intrusion: it's her home, after all. Florence sees things differently, perhaps because she knows what the alternative is.
Quote #4
"You can wait indoors till the rain stops, then I want you out," I said coldly, and turned my back on the pair of them.
I changed my clothes, locked myself in my bedroom, and tried to read. But the words rustled past me like leaves. With mild surprise I felt my eyelids droop, heard the book slide through my hands.
When I awoke the one thought in my mind was to get them out of the house. (2.152-154)
Mrs. Curren seems continually to fight a losing battle to claim her house as being totally her own. She gives in a little bit here because of the bad weather, but we also see deep down that every fiber of her being wants these people out of her house.
Quote #5
"Can I ask you a question?" I said. Where did you live before? Why did you start wandering?"
"I was at sea," said Vercueil. "I told you that."
"But one doesn't live at sea. One isn't born at sea. You haven't been at sea all your life." (2.367-369)
Vercueil seems to avoid telling Mrs. Curren anything too personal about himself. What could be more personal than talking about where you grew up?
Quote #6
"And you want to go home?"
"Yes, I want to go home. I am in pain, I am exhausted."
He turned and walked on. I hobbled behind. Then he stopped again. "You want to go home," he said. "But what of the people who live here? When they want to go home, this is where they must go. What do you think of that?" (3.108-110)
"Home" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. For Mrs. Curren (at least for now), it's a place of peace and tranquility. For the people around her, home is a terrifying, inescapable disaster area.
Quote #7
When I wake out of the Borodino sleep I am calling or crying or coughing with sounds that come from deep in my chest. Then I quiet down and lie staring about me. My room, my house, my life: too close a rendering to be an imitation: the real thing: I am back: again and again I am back, from the belly of the whale disgorged. (3.424)
By "Borodino sleep," Mrs. Curren means the weird dreams and altered states of consciousness that leave her feeling shaken. Her home surroundings stand in contrast to the fear she experiences. Recognizing her home around her reassures that she's going to live another day.
Quote #8
At the airport, the day you left, you gripped me and stared into my eyes. "Do not call me back, Mother," you said, "because I will not come. Then you shook the dust of this country from your feet. You were right. Nevertheless, there is part of me that is always on the alert, always turned to the northwest, longing to welcome you, embrace you should you relent and, in whatever form, come visiting. (3.425)
For many people, a house is just a house, but a home is wherever the people you love live. Mrs. Curren's daughter has left South Africa for good, but Mrs. Curren nevertheless is eager to have her back again.
Quote #9
"What are your plans?"
He looked uncomprehending.
"What do you plan to do? Do you want to stay here?"
"I must go home."
"Where is home?"
He stared back at me doggedly, too tired to think up another lie. "Poor child," I whispered. (3.487-492)
Towards the end of the novel, we see Mrs. Curren's attitude toward her home starting to change. She no longer focuses on maintaining it as her own personal refuge; instead, she recognizes that others, like John in this case, are in need of a safe place to sleep too. This moment is especially moving because, as you'll remember, she's pretty much disliked John since the first time she laid eyes on the kid.
Quote #10
Someone else came in, a young woman in uniform with a crisp, clean air about her. "Is dit die dame dié?" she said; and then, to me: "We are going to clear the house for a little while, till this business is over. Is there anywhere you would like to go, friends or relatives?"
"I am not leaving. This is my house." (3.567)
The police invasion of Mrs. Curren's house is perhaps the most eye-opening example of how her home stops feeling like a refuge and starts feeling like it doesn't belong to her at all. She's not in charge of her property anymore; the police are.