How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Since when do Jewish people live in Short Hills? They couldn't be real Jews believe me." (4.102)
Through Aunt Gladys, Roth continues hammering home the idea that in the late 1950s, Jews are blending into upper-middle-class suburbia. No one would suspect Jews of living there, not even other Jews.
Quote #8
I have one shirt with a Brook's Brothers label and I let it linger on the bed a while. The Arrows I heaped in the drawer. (5.39)
Ha. This is a hint that Neil is becoming even more sensitive to appearances. We've probably all felt some brand name pride before. It's funny that Ron, the person he's showing off for, doesn't seem to care about brand names (though we can be sure Brenda does).
Quote #9
How would I ever come to know her, I wondered, for as she slept I felt I knew no more of her than what I could see in a photograph. (7.110)
Though this theme focuses on appearances in terms of religion, class, and ethnicity, it's also about the difficulty in getting beyond someone's appearance and really knowing them. Brenda seems all surface to Neil at this moment, and he's afraid he'll never see deeper.