How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"She had something working for her, she had them interested, she could've really rolled. But when you walk out on a thing like that, you don't walk back" (4.18).
O.J. Berman can't understand how Holly could simply walk away from the chance to make it in Hollywood. For him, this signifies her inability to plan or her lack of thoughts about her future.
Quote #2
"If I do feel guilty, I guess it's because I let him go on dreaming when I wasn't dreaming a bit" (4.51).
This is Holly's take on why she didn't pursue her Hollywood career. It's not that she wasn't thinking about her future; she just knew that being in Hollywood wasn't her dream – it was O.J.'s dream for her.
Quote #3
"Every day she'd walk a little further: a mile, come home. Two miles, and come home. One day she just kept on" (9.18).
When Holly leaves Tulip, Texas, it's a decision she makes without much planning. She knows there is something more for her out in the world. So, although she's not sure what her plans are once she leaves Doc, she hopes she'll find a different life.
Quote #4
"Good luck: and believe me, dearest Doc – it's better to look at the sky than live here. Such an empty place; so vague" (10.11).
It seems New York is a difficult place to make definite plans. The emptiness and the vagueness of the city make it hard to hold on to something concrete, to hope for something specific.
Quote #5
"I don't want to own anything until I know I've found the place where me and things belong to each other. I'm not quite sure where that is just yet. But I know what it's like" (4.52).
This is Holly's big hope for her life – to find a place where she feels she belongs. She doesn't know where this place is, but she's confident it's out there and she knows how she'll feel when she finds it.
Quote #6
Her bedroom was consistent with her parlor: it perpetuated the same camping-out atmosphere; crates and suitcases, everything packed and ready to go (6.3).
Holly's apartment speaks to her lack of plans. She lives an impetuous life and it seems she's always ready to go where the wind may take her.
Quote #7
When she'd left, I wandered over to the table where her books remained; they were what I had wanted to see. South by Thunderbird. Byways of Brazil. The Political Mind of South America. And so forth.
These books reveal one of Holly's more underhanded plans. She's educating herself about José's world, perhaps so she can become a part of it. It seems she can make plans when they'll benefit her.
Quote #8
"He'll marry me, all right. In church. And with his family there" (13.11).
Holly has actually allowed herself to dream of a more secure life with José. She's finally looking forward to the future and she feels confident that her dreams will come true this time. She's supremely confident in the plans she has for her life.
Quote #9
"Years from now, years and years, one of those ships will bring me back, me and my nine Brazilian brats" (12.4).
In a rare moment, Holly pictures herself as an older woman with a family. She imagines that she and José will have a big family and that she'll spend the rest of her life in Brazil. She's looking beyond the immediate future here and is daring to plan for years and years to come.
Quote #10
"Today's Wednesday, isn't it? So I suppose I'll sleep until Saturday, really get a good schluffen. Saturday morning I'll skip out to the bank. Then I'll stop by the apartment and pick up a nightgown or two and my Mainbocher. Following which, I'll report to Idlewild. Where, as you damn well know, I have a perfectly fine reservation on a perfectly fine plane" (17.18).
It's so easy for Holly to slip back into her old habits. After José dashes her hopes of marriage and a family, Holly resorts to what's familiar to her – living life on the fly and living for the moment.