hush Principles Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

I want to say Daddy, you did the right thing.

But I don't know if that's true. (1.6-7)

On the surface, it seems like a clear choice: Killing Raymond Taylor was wrong and someone should stand up and say that. But in the actual situation, there are consequences to consider, and because Daddy has a family, he's not just taking a risk for himself—he's also risking his own family's lives and their identities and relationships with people they love. It's not an easy choice either way.

Quote #2

Daddy says Mr. Dennis and Mr. Randall killed that boy. He wants to be a witness to it—break the Blue Wall of Silence. That's what he calls it. I never thought of silence that way—blue. (2.15)

The Blue Wall of Silence is a principle cops live by, according to the novel. It means cops stand by other cops. Daddy wants to break the wall, but later in the novel we discover that honoring this principle at the expense of this code has a traumatic effect on him. Why might that be?

Quote #3

When I saw you all sitting it that front row cheering me on, some little seed started to grow in my brain. He said it was a seed of faith in his family and the Denver Police Department. A seed that made him believe in the possibility of perfection...and trust...and loyalty. As my father looked out at us from the stage while reporters flashed pictures and other cops shook his hand, he smiled and winked at me. I winked back, not knowing that what was growing in his mind was a seed of justice that would one day lead to the biggest decision he'd ever have to make in his life. (4.8)

More principles: perfection, trust, loyalty. Daddy trusts that the people he works with are good people who will make good decisions and hold fast to their own principles. And some of them are—many people support his decision to testify. It's the ones who don't, the ones who threaten his family, who force their relocation. The problem with principles is that not everyone holds the same ones, and this can create some dicey situations.