How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph) or (Page Number)
Quote #1
Dr Strauss says I shoud rite down what I think and remembir eand every thing that happins to me from now on. (1.1)
For Charlie, writing is memory, and he never really processes something until he writes it down. Lucky for us readers, right?
Quote #2
That makes me remember when mom had to go away and they put me to stay in Mrs Leroys house who lived next door. (9.37)
Charlie's first memories after his surgery don't seem particularly earth-shattering, but they make a lot of sense after hearing more about his family. This is a major point in Charlie's life, even though he doesn't totally get it now.
Quote #3
In a dream last night I heard Mom screaming at Dad and the teacher at the elementary school p.S. 13 (my first school before they transferred me to P.S. 22)…
Enough already with the random details, Charlie—but do you see that his memories are getting more specific? It seems like he's about to have some sort of breakthrough.
Quote #4
I don't understand about myself or my past. (11.78)
What exactly doesn't Charlie understand about his past? Is he confused about the actual events, or how they impact him as an adult?
Quote #5
I'm in the middle of a page and I see your face on it—not blurred like those in my past, but clear and alive. (11.93)
Alice is one of the only people Charlie sees in clear focus—he can't even remember his parents's faces. Is this because Alice is one of the only people who saw Charlie through his transition after the surgery?
Quote #6
Now he had a clear picture of Charlie's mother, screaming at him, holding a leather belt in her hand, and his father trying to hold her back. (11.112)
Take a step back from the awfulness of this quote and think: where's Charlie in this situation? It sounds like he's watching from afar as everything goes down.
Quote #7
Now I can see where I got the usual motivation for becoming smart that so amazed everyone at first. It was something Rose Gordon lived with day and night. Her fear, her guilt, her shame that Charlie was a moron. (13.144)
So even Charlie's ambition isn't his own? Just goes to show that you get everything from Mama Bear.
Quote #8
I wanted to get up and show everyone what a fool he was, to shout at him: I'm a human being, a person—with parents and memories and a history—and I was before you ever wheeled me into that operating room! (13.161)
It seems important for Charlie to be seen as someone with a normal past, whatever that means. And sure, those things make him a human being—but so does his empathy and his awesome drive to succeed.
Quote #9
A dream last night triggered off a sequence of memories, lit up a whole slice of the past and the important thing is to get it down on paper quickly before I forget it because I seem to forget things sooner now. (16.258)
If Charlie's suddenly desperate to get everything down on paper, does that he mean he doesn't always succeed in remembering his story correctly? Are we even getting the full story?
Quote #10
"Do you want something?" Her voice, hoarse, was an unmistakable echo down the corridors of memory. (16.260)
Remember: Charlie's only got bits and pieces of memory cobbled together. Hearing his mom's voice at long last could trigger a whole new bunch of memories, so get ready for a wild ride.