How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
What was the apostrophe doing there? Did the doctor own the Meescham? And what was it with exclamation marks? Did people not know what they were for? Surprise, anger, joy—that's what exclamation marks were for. They had nothing to do with who resided where. (36.2)
Again Flora attacks a sentence instead of acting. Her squirrel just ran into a door (literally) and here she is, worried about a misplaced apostrophe. This quirky habit of hers brings her comfort whenever she's in trouble.
Quote #8
I must admit that I have always had a certain facility with words. And I am terribly fond of the novel form. Though my interests lie less in the area of romance and more in the speculative nature of things. (45.5)
That's one way of putting it, William. Good old Spiver loves to think about the meaning behind words, how they are used, and critique the way people use them. So it's no wonder that he and Flora become friends.
Quote #9
Flora could see the squirrel's name—ULYSSES—flying out of the car and into the night, a single, beautiful word that was immediately swallowed up by the wind and the darkness. (59.10)
Flora sees her pal's name while she's racing to save his life. It's almost as though she's in a comic book. We love how she's always seeing words everywhere instead of just thinking about them. Perhaps that's why Ulysses is so fascinated by words, too.