How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Naturally, the Reverend Grant expects his only son to follow in his hallowed footsteps. Dan would rather be a firefighter. (5.3)
What is it about parents wanting their kids to do the same things that they do?
Quote #5
[Shin] says that to really understand something, you have to become whatever it is you are studying. He says he knows exactly how it feels to be a snail.
"You have to get to the point where you really believe you're a snail," he once said to me. "If you don't believe in your own snailness, you'll never understand them." (4.57-58)
If this is the case, what happens to you? What becomes of your identity if you become a snail? We admire Shin's commitment, but wonder about how much his obsessive exploration is a way to lose himself a bit.