How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Curious that he and her mother, cityfolk, intellectuals, should have produced this throwback, this sturdy young settler. (7.17)
We see the two contrasting regions of East and West, Country and City, played out even just within the Lurie family. This moment also reveals some of David's hidden attitudes about the country: he sees Lucy as a "throwback," as if she's reverting to something more primitive and less civilized.
Quote #2
A group of children pass him on their way home from school. He greets them; they greet him back. Country ways. Already Cape Town is receding into the past. (7.65)
Even early on, David's surroundings seem to have a profound effect on him. Even though he tries to keep himself at a distance from country life, he can't help but slowly become part of it.
Quote #3
He is sitting in the front room, watching soccer on television. The score is nil-all; neither team seems interested in winning. The commentary alternates between Sotho and Xhosa, languages of which he understands not a word. (9.1-2)
Sotho and Xhosa are two of the most commonly-spoken languages in the entire country of South Africa, but as someone from the westernized city of Cape Town, David doesn't speak them; he only speaks English and, we find out, two Romance languages. Language has the power to either alienate those who don't understand or involve those who do understand; in this case, we get an example of the power of language to create outsiders.
Quote #4
He has a cow that will calve in the spring. He has two wives, or a wife and a girlfriend. If he has played his cards right he could get a second grant to put up a house; then he can move out of the stable. By Eastern Cape standards he is a man of substance. (9.16)
This moment reveals a lot about the difference between standards of greatness on the Eastern Cape versus in Cape Town. Do you think David, or anyone else from Cape Town, for that matter, would be impressed by Petrus's accomplishments?
Quote #5
Two weeks ago he was in a classroom explaining to the bored youth of the country the distinction between drink and drink up, burned and burnt. The perfective, signifying an action carried through to its conclusion. How far away it all seems! I live, I have lived, I lived. (8.48)
David isn't just geographically far away from his old life in Cape Town; he's also adopting a completely different lifestyle. The things he used to spend all of his time working on – teaching proper English grammar, for instance – are not as relevant here.
Quote #6
"Anyway," he concludes, "having said farewell to the city, what do I find myself doing in the wilderness? Doctoring dogs. Playing right-hand man to a woman who specializes in sterilization and euthanasia."
Lucy laughs. "Bev? You think Bev is part of the repressive apparatus? Bev is in awe of you! You are a professor. She has never met an old-fashioned professor before. She is frightened of making grammar mistakes in front of you." (11.33-34)
Regional differences affect the way people regard one another. Maybe David hasn't thought about it before, but just as he forms opinions and judgments of everyone he meets, so do they examine him. In this case, doesn't it seem like Bev regards David as some kind of mythical creature?
Quote #7
He speaks Italian, he speaks French, but Italian and French will not save him here in darkest Africa. (11.90)
Back when David was watching soccer, his inability to understand Sotho and Xhosa merely interfered with his ability to be entertained. Now, during the attack, he cannot understand what the intruders are saying. For all of his education and prowess in European languages, he is left without the tools to figure out what's going to happen to him next.
Quote #8
"Wake up, David. This is the country. This is Africa." (15.15)
Think carefully about what Lucy is saying when she says "this is Africa." David is from Johannesburg, and he has lived for many years in Cape Town – doesn't that mean anything? From Lucy's perspective, not a chance. Johannesburg and Cape Town are the two largest cities in South Africa; they are modern, bustling, and unfamiliar with the kinds of problems that face people out in the country. In Lucy's opinion, the country is the real Africa.
Quote #9
Country ways – that is what Lucy calls this kind of thing. He has other words: indifference, hardheartedness. If the country can pass judgment on the city, then the city can pass judgment on the country too. (15.30)
In David's eyes, the country isn't as down-to-earth as it claims to be. Cities are generally portrayed as being the more ruthless, unfeeling setting, but out here on the Eastern Cape, David sees that the country can be subject to the same judgments.
Quote #10
"You will marry Lucy," he says carefully. "Explain to me what you mean. No, wait, rather don't explain. This is not something I want to hear. This is not how we do things."
We: he is on the point of saying, We Westerners. (22.80-81)
This is a classic "Us versus Them" moment, and it plays out through the contrast between city and country ways. The proposition that Petrus will take Lucy on as his third wife seems to be a totally reasonable idea to Petrus, but it is completely absurd to David.