How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"No" said the cat. "Now, you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names." (4.25)
Do you agree with the cat? Are names important to a person's identity? If someone started calling you Billy or Sally tomorrow, would you still feel like yourself?
Quote #5
She put her hands in her pockets, and thought about it. Her hand touched the stone that the real Miss Spink and Miss Forcible had given her the day before [...] (4.11)
The stone seems to give Coraline a bit more confidence. Does this change in attitude affect her identity, or is identity a fixed thing that can't be changed because of a silly good luck charm?
Quote #6
There was nothing reflected in it but a young girl in her dressing gown and slippers, who looked like she had recently been crying but whose eyes were real eyes, not black buttons, and who was holding tightly to a burned-out candle in a candlestick. (5.96)
The imagery here is really powerful; Coraline is looking in the mirror, but it's almost as if she's looking at someone else. Her "real eyes" make us certain that it's her, though.