How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
As far as an Armenian from Bitlis was concerned, Bitlis was the center of the world: Her mountains were the highest, her soil the most fertile, her woman the loveliest, her men the bravest, her leaders the wisest. (1.3)
At first Vahan loves his heritage and where he's from, and is proud of them both, but as time goes on, Vahan hides the fact that he's Armenian. Is this just for show (so he doesn't get caught and killed), or does he want to hide it from himself?
Quote #2
He called me a coward, he called my people animals and traitors. And I said nothing. I stared at the ground and waited for him to go away. (18.4)
The soldier who brings Vahan his tray of food each night hates Armenians and makes no secret of it. Just because Selim Bey is protecting Vahan doesn't mean his men like it, and they make it known to him too.
Quote #3
"In this world," he told me, "there is no such thing as a country or a flag or a right or wrong cause. There is only yourself. You are your own flag, your own cause and country. In the end, if you are poor and cold and hungry, no one will care if you were a patriot, or an honest man. All they will see is a beggar, an unsuccessful animal. Do you understand?" (18.32)
Selim Bey likes to offer advice to Vahan, even though they're on opposite sides of the war. What's telling though, is that his advice is basically every man for himself—so in some ways, it's really more of a warning than anything else.
Quote #4
And it was not the war. Or rather, it was the other one no one had declared, the one the snow could bury and the wind could blow away. (19.14)
The war might not be fought with weapons and bombs, but it's certainly real to Vahan and his family. The thing is though, they are singled out for being Armenian and no other reason.
Quote #5
I was an Armenian, and in Turkey anything could happen to an Armenian for any reason or for no reason at all. (22.1)
One, two, three: Ugh. You might say that the nationalism of the Turks forces a sense of patriotism over his Armenian identity to grow in Vahan—after all, he's treated as Armenian whether he wants to be or not.
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)
The truth is that Mrs. Mahari is only comforting to Vahan because of their shared heritage. Even though Armenians are killed for their nationality, Vahan is comforted by people around him who share his history—it reminds him of home and gives him hope.
Quote #7
My family is dead too. My sons are dead. My name is dead. But listen to me, Galib—your name will die too. Do you hear me, Armenian? Your name will die, too. (24.22)
Mustafa says this when Vahan's pretending to be deaf and mute—now Vahan doesn't even have his own name or identity outside of being Armenian. That's all people need to know about him to judge him.
Quote #8
"There's no luck for Armenians," she said one day. "There's no luck for us at all. Even the survivors are unlucky. Instead of dying once, we have to die every night." (28.19)
We agree with Seta—it seems like things are tough for Armenians whether they are killed or survive, because either way, they have seen and heard things they shouldn't ever have to. Yet again, Vahan bonds with someone because of their shared heritage, showing us he still cares about being Armenian.
Quote #9
Two men standing under the awning of a bookstore were speaking Armenian. It had been three years since I'd seen Armenians talking in the open, unafraid. (34.3)
Hearing his own language comforts Vahan, and makes him think of home. It's not just that these are good people who are willing to help him that excites Vahan—it's that they are from his heritage too. Yay. Vahan feels proud to hear his own language after hearing Turkish for so long.
Quote #10
I knew that the home I had lost represented a million other homes, and the city I had lost the nation of what had once been Armenian. (35.12)
Those words "had once been" are telling. They show us that it's no longer Armenia because it has been destroyed—even after the war nothing will change that.