How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached. Were the souls the exception to that rule? Could they have the light without the darkness of the world? (15.43)
This is only the end of a beautiful, thought-provoking passage about the nature of love. Love is the ultimate force in The Host, and the main reason that Wanda decides to stay human. From her lives inside of other species, she's learned that such powerful feelings of love come along with other passionate emotions on the other end of the spectrum—dare we say, like a parasite?
Quote #8
I knew the human exaggeration for sorrow—a broken heart. [...] I'd always thought of it as a hyperbole. [...] I wasn't expecting the pain in my chest. (19.129)
This scene calls to mind the raw, gaping hole in Bella's chest in New Moon. Stephenie Meyer's heroines are nothing if not acutely in tune with their emotions and the extreme pain they cause.
Quote #9
"Even if you're not there, [Mel], if you can't hear me. I love you." (30.7)
Jared's love for Melanie is complicated by the fact that her body still exists, but she's not in control of it. It's like a less-gross version of a zombie movie. How do you deal with your feelings when the person you love isn't herself any longer? Things are further complicated by the fact that Melanie exists in there somewhere. Wanda can act as an interpreter for Jared's feelings, like Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, but Jared has to trust that Wanda's telling the truth.