How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"You're a decent man"
"I think you are too…As I've known you. But then I didn't know you before. So I can't vouch for that man. I wish I could, but there's no way I can." (2.131-132)
Washburn says he can't be sure whether anonymous dude was a good person before he lost his memory. As the book goes along, though, this view goes out the window: Bourne is, was, and always has been a good person—and, in fact, a person who is good like him could not have had a bad past.
So is Washburn confused and wrong?Well, it's not exactly clear. What he says here isn't the view that prevails in the book… but the book can play tricks on us, too. Does the book ever look back and affirm that Washburn was wrong? Or does it leave the question open?
Quote #2
"My life began five months ago on a small island in the Mediterranean called Ile de Port Noir…" (9.131)
Quote #3
"…I thought you were insane."
"What I've got is a form of insanity. A sane person remembers. I don't." (9.141-142)
Is Bourne insane? He assaults people, steals, murders, kills, lies, and has occasional attacks that render him unable to function. And he doesn't remember who he is. Sooo…yes, in some sense he seems to be not quite all there. We doubt he's insane, but it's kind of fun to think about.