How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He looks wistful for a second. Pressia's jealous of the memory. (4.41)
Memories are like currency for people outside the Dome. So though it might look odd to see Pressia feel jealous here, it's similar to how people are jealous of other people's wealth. Pressia is poor when it comes to memories—all she wants is to have a past.
Quote #2
Her mind is blank except for the image of her mother's death—her skull, the mist of blood. (4.105)
Some memories just keep popping up in your head; this one is Pressia's. Unfortunately, traumatic experiences are placed right in the front of your mind, and it's extremely hard to move them back.
Quote #3
"The past isn't just the past. It's the truth!" (4.108)
For all you antiquarians out there, Bradwell is your man. The past tells us how we can mend our future, and what we need to continue to do. The past happened and the future hasn't yet — so why dwell in something that isn't yet true?
Quote #4
"I want to remember them on my own, but I don't think I can." (8.16)
For people like Pressia who were very young during the Detonations, memories are scarce, no matter how hard they try. But sometimes when she tries to remember, she ends up making up memories. Memory is malleable, folks.
Quote #5
"I have to tunnel back through that part if I want to get to the Before. I feel like it's a locked door to an attic. If I open it, I'll find the thins my mind has blanked out from the detonations, and, deeper in the attic, maybe memories of my mother and father." (8.18)
Pressia feels like there's just a metaphorical door somewhere in her mind that she needs to unlock. What she needs to realize, though, is that there might not be anything behind that door.
Quote #6
"Maybe some of the past should just stay in the past." (15.44)
When it comes to memories, Pressia is usually the person to turn to. Again, her extreme desire to unravel the past isn't always a great idea—it keeps her from thinking about her future.
Quote #7
"You wanna know what I'm sentimental about? Pressia says.
"What?"
"The things I don't remember—stuff I've only heard about" (50.6)
Oh, Pressia. Nostalgic even for the things she can't remember.
Quote #8
"Memory's a tricky thing. It isn't infinite. It's a net. Your mind is an ocean. We can only dredge so far." (51.91)
Good old Arvin Weed gives us a nice metaphor for our minds. Just like an ocean, our memories are so vast that we can't possibly explore their entirety.