How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"The humans kill us happily whenever they have the ability to do so." (2.43)
The Seekers attitudes show that fear of the Other doesn't just apply to the humans. The aliens are just as scared of the humans as the humans are of them. Fortunately (or unfortunately), they're a little more effective at capturing and killing us.
Quote #2
This mind used more of my faculties than any host before, leaving me only one hundred eighty-one spare attachments. (3.26)
Right off the bat, Wanda realizes that humans are going to be a little different than the other species she has encountered. This line also shows how foreign Wanda is to us. How many attachments does this weird alien thing have, and, uh, where is she going to attach the rest of them?
Quote #3
The monsters who look like a nice couple in their early fifties. (4.8)
We can only imagine the paranoia that gripped the world when the aliens first started populating. Their existence turned neighbors into "others," fracturing the community and turning everyone against each other. Nice old Mrs. Sweetoldladyface down the street might not be inviting you over tea; she might be inviting you over to kill you and implant her spawn in your brain. Yikes.
Quote #4
[The humans] were barbarians, monsters. They hung over us, slavering for blood. (13.26)
Wanda's attitude toward the humans mirrors their attitude toward her perfectly, reinforcing the point that each group sees the other as a dangerous threat. Sounds like Thanksgiving chez Shmoop! (We kid, we kid.)
Quote #5
Humans were deceitful, treacherous creatures. I couldn't anticipate their darker agendas when such things were unthinkable to my species. (23.63)
Things like deceit and treachery are foreign to Wanda's species. But not to humans. Maybe Wanda is right to fear us.
Quote #6
Were twenty-nine rattlesnakes afraid of a lone field mouse? (25.5)
The humans are so different to Wanda that she sees them as predators. The funny thing is that she can't realize that they view her and her kind as the snakes.
Quote #7
It brought to mind one of Melanie's memories: three puppies rolling on the grass, yapping furiously and baring their teeth as if their only desire was to rip out their brothers' throats. (37.12)
As an outsider, Wanda has a difficult time separating the human species from other mammals. The friendly fighting of Ian and Kyle confuses her even further. (We admit, watching brothers fight is a lot like watching puppies.)
Quote #8
"You!" Sharon spit, and then she launched herself from her crouch. Like a cat, she sprang at Jared, nails reaching for his face. (45.137)
Once again we see humans acting as animals. Here, Wanda describes Sharon as particularly animalistic. Wanda's outside perspective makes us wonder what other qualities we humans share with animals, and what sets us apart.
Quote #9
[Ian] laughed at the wrong parts, the parts that were supposed to be touching. (47.65)
Ian doesn't understand the souls' value for peace and cooperation. When Ian sees these values in their movies and TV shows, he thinks it's funny. Talk about culture gap.
Quote #10
"Look at them all! A vile nest of killers, lurking in wait!" (49.129)
This quote shows how the Seeker views the humans, as though they're actively plotting to kill the aliens, even though they're not exactly equipped to do that—and even though the humans are much more likely to be hunted down and killed by the aliens than the other way around.