How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
We made a point of never mentioning him, fearing, I suppose, that his life hung by a thread and that any expression of uncertainty on our part would condemn him to death. (3.17)
In the beginning of the novel, Vahan and his family treat the bad stuff that's happening like isolated incidents. Too bad they can't see everything else that's going on and add it all up. They try to contain the situation—and their emotions—by not talking about it… or thinking about it.
Quote #2
The problem was, I did not want to be smart. The problem was, I had spent the last seven days in a closet and I could not stay in this house a moment longer. The problem was, I was more afraid of being alone, or never seeing Sisak again, than I was of all the soldiers and gendarmes in Turkey. (13.10)
We feel for Vahan when he loses his brother, mostly because he's all alone and doesn't know what to do next. He's got to fend for himself for the first time in his life, and he's not really sure how to do that.
Quote #3
I was not lonely because he visited me in the stable two or three times a week. I wanted to see his point of view, I wanted to see the world through the eyes of my protector. (18.34)
Of all the people to provide Vahan with companionship, who would have thought it would be Selim Bey, butcher of the Armenians? Vahan definitely feels guilty about this, but he'd be lying if he didn't also admit he likes the visits from the governor because it gives him someone to talk to.
Quote #4
The problem with loneliness is that, unlike other forms of human suffering, it teaches us nothing, leads us nowhere, and generally devalues us in our own eyes and the eyes of others. (20.1)
Not so fast Vahan. It might seem this way to him at the time, but in reality, we think his loneliness teaches him a lot about how to be self-sufficient and make decisions. Sure it's depressing and sad for him, but being alone pushes Vahan to grow up in ways that relying on his brother just wouldn't have.
Quote #5
I wanted her to know that she was safe, that she was no longer alone, that this was not just the best day of my life but the best day of hers, as well. She had a family now. She had a brother, a father, and a best friend. (20.27)
Vahan confides in us when talking about Seranoush, who is there for the soldiers to rape every night. He wishes he could be of comfort to her, but actually, she's all by herself in the world. Not even sharing food and light conversation with Vahan can change that.
Quote #6
Still, their presence was a comfort to me. It was good to have my own people near me, to know that I was not completely alone. (22.29)
But now he is alone. This is what he thinks right after Mrs. Mahari disappears, and it occurs to him that he's the only Armenian left in the house, and he's got no more friends to talk to. It's sad that Mrs. Mahari died, but this forces Vahan to run away before he is killed off too.
Quote #7
I spread my blankets on the ground and looked at the low, brown mountains in the distance. I had never felt more alone in my life. (23.21)
When he is pretending to be mute and deaf, Vahan is alienated from his own voice and ideas. He can't talk to anyone or even show he understands what they are saying, plus he's got a huge secret to keep about who he really is. All of it wears on him.
Quote #8
I still wanted a home and a family more than anything in the world, but if I was honest with myself, I had to admit that there was probably no such place and no such people. (26.2)
In the end, Vahan realizes that he might always be alone. It's a sad thing to think about, but he doesn't have any family or home left, no matter how much he tries to force it with the Tashians or in Constantinople.
Quote #9
She was a companion I might have created in my dreams. I felt that I knew her as well as I knew myself, that we had both been alone in empty rooms, had both died and survived in the same way. (28.1)
Seta is like a breath of fresh air for Vahan—after being alone for so long, he finally gets a friend he can talk to and share himself with. That's why it's all the more upsetting when she dies after childbirth, because it pushes Vahan back into a place of being alone again.
Quote #10
Maybe because at that moment all I saw before me was a man I hardly knew, a man I respected but did not love. (31.16)
Dr. Tashian is very good to Vahan; he takes him in and treats him like a son. However he's not actually family to Vahan, and no matter how he tries to forge a relationship with the doc, Vahan realizes that he's still isolated in the world, because he is not actually the doc's son.