American Pastoral Politics Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"Just a liberal sweetheart of a father. […] Brought her up with all the modern ideas of being rational with your children. Everything is permissible." (3.67)

The "proper" ways of raising kids is a hot topic no matter what time you live in. Jerry is super critical of the way the Swede raised Merry, implying that if the Swede had been more strict with her the bombing never would have happened.

Quote #2

"Merry has a credo, Dawn, Merry has a political position." (3.141)

There really isn't much anyone can do to stop Merry from having a political position. She's smart, but doesn't know how to deal with the intense politics surrounding her. The combination of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement in the US is giving Merry more political information than she can rationally process.

Quote #3

"Daddy, everything is political." (3.146)

Is Merry right? Is there anything in American Pastoral that can be separated from political issues? Is there anything in life that can?