How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
He wanted to do it, feel her writhing and kicking at his knees, squirming as she fought for air. He wanted to hear her moan and die in his arms. He wanted to pull off her clothes. He felt violently aroused. […] In a corner of his brain he had just enough sanity left to realize that he was poised on the edge of a bottomless pit. (9.69)
Esteban García's violent impulse is cast as insanity – it's quite evident that the narrator, while trying to make Esteban's motivation clear to us, condemns his actions and the dark impulses that nearly cause him to rape and murder a child.
Quote #11
Alba tried to turn her face away, but he held it firmly in both hands, forcing her to look at him. It was her first kiss. She felt a warm, brutal sensation as his rough, badly shaven skin scraped her face. She smelled his scent of stale tobacco and onion, and his violence. […] Alba thought she was choking, and pushed him with such force that she managed to get away from him. (10.45)
This scene reminds us of the passage in which Esteban Trueba rapes fifteen-year-old Pancha García. While Pancha's "humble origin" doesn't stop Trueba from forcing himself on her, Alba's social status may be the only thing that prevents García from doing the same to her.
Quote #12
Miguel […] said that the violence of the system needed to be answered with the violence of revolution. (11.4).
For the first time in the novel, we are presented with a sympathetic character who advocates the use of violence in order to achieve a more just society. Other characters, like Jaime, disagree with him. What do you think? Is violence ever justified?