How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Life was a throwing off for poor aunt Gladys, her greatest joys were taking out the garbage, emptying the pantry, and making threadbare bundles for what she still refers to as the poor Jews of Palestine. (1.22)
Neil is the socially conscious young man who reads Mary McCarthy (a writer with strong female characters) and battles racism and discrimination for the boy in the library. Yet he devalues Aunt Gladys's work in the household. It seems to make her happy, but Neil can't imagine that.
Quote #2
"Women who wear high heels all the time get tipped ovaries." (6.39)
Brenda has heard that high heels can make a woman infertile. This, of course, is a myth (one of many when it comes to female bodies). Have you heard it before? When you hear things about reproduction and sex, what resources are available to test the reliability of the information?
Quote #3
"Brenda, I want you to own one for…for the sake of pleasure."
"Whose? The doctor's?"
"Mine." (6.53)
By making Neil seem so selfish on the issue of the diaphragm, Roth directs our sympathies to Brenda. To some, this may actually help frame the issue from a female point of view.
Quote #4
"I just know. I read Mary McCarthy."
"That's exactly right. That's just what I'd feel like. Somebody out of her." (6.104)
Brenda and Neil are talking about a story called "Dottie Makes an Honest Woman Out of Herself" by Mary McCarthy, the first story to feature a man pressuring a woman into getting a diaphragm. Brenda is simply resisting her literary heritage! For more on this important quote, go to her "Character" page for more analysis.
Quote #5
"Neil, I called Margaret Sanger Clinic. […] Neil, they did ask if I was married. God, the woman sounded like my mother." (6.263-6.265)
As we learn when Brenda's mother finds the diaphragm, Mrs. Patimkin is very against sex before marriage, in part because of her religious beliefs. As the story unfolds, we learn that Mrs. Patimkin is very devout and has a strict moral code.
Quote #6
"I'll come with you."
"To the office?"
"Sweetie, your husband wouldn't come to the office." (6.281-283)
How Al Bundy of you, Neil! This is one of those moments of ironic hilarity Roth is famous for. Neil is just as nervous as Brenda about going to a gynecologist. He's reinforcing what might be considered "traditional" gender roles, while trying to make Brenda an "independent" woman who can get birth control on her own. Of course, he completely ignores Brenda's wishes throughout.
Quote #7
[From Mr. Patimkin's letter] "She is a Woman and it is hard for her to understand some of the Shocks in life." (8.133)
Like Neil and Brenda, Mr. Patimkin's stance on the issue of sex before marriage, birth control, and women is a little confusing. Brenda having sex and using a diaphragm is ultimately no big deal to him. His daughter's feelings are more important. He also suggests that his wife's reaction is too extreme, but, ironically, blames it on the fact that she's a woman.
Quote #8
[From Mrs. Patimkin's letter] "Times certainly have changed since I was a girl that this kind of thing could go on." (8.143)
Mrs. Patimkin is the only one who isn't confused. As a strict observer of Jewish law, she has her religion to guide her. As in many religions, sex before marriage is forbidden. Of course, unmarried men and women have been having sex against their parents' wishes since long before Brenda and Neil.