How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He was silent, conceding to her once more; she was so much quicker with words than he. They said good night; each pretended to sleep, and lay, breathing deeply to delude the other, eyes aching through the darkness, watching. (1.15)
Jacob and Esther show their emotional distance when they argue about sending Deborah away to the mental hospital. They retreat inside of themselves and don't really connect—it seems too hard and painful to do that. And they wonder where Deborah gets it from...
Quote #2
He, too, loved his daughters, though he had never told them so; he, too, had wished confidences but was never able to open his own heart; and, because of this, they had also been kept from venturing their secrets. His oldest daughter had just parted from him, almost eagerly, in that grim place of locks and bars, turning away from his kiss, stepping back. (1.27)
Yikes. Talk about feeling isolated from your own parents. This is painful: never once did Jacob tell his daughters he loved them. And he wonders why Deborah's a little messed up? Kids need love, Dad.
Quote #3
Their freedom to say what they really wanted to say was even more circumscribed than before. (2.9).
Jacob and Esther are both hurting after dropping Deborah off at the hospital. Now that they're alone, they should be able to express how they feel, but here, we see that they both feel that can't really talk about what's going on with them. There's no communication here; their isolation from each other runs deep. Each fears what the other will think of his or her vulnerability or emotion.
Quote #4
"I am a hundred square-yards sane." If there were such things as man-hours and light-years, surely there was foot-sanity. (3.4)
When Deborah is first at the mental hospital, she jokes with her fellow patient Carla that privileges are doled out in terms of how far you can walk away from the building itself. At first, Deborah is only given permission to walk the grounds—she's that troubled.
Quote #5
When he and Esther quarreled, the crucial thing remained unspoken, leaving an atmosphere of wordless rancor and accusation. (4.4)
Jacob and Esther, why can't you two talk to each other? How else will Deborah learn to express her own feelings? These folks simply don't discuss their true feelings and thoughts, even with each other, even about putting Deborah away and how that might affect their marriage and their family. Uncomfortable silences abound.
Quote #6
She sat on the other side of the heavy twelfth-century iron portcullis that Deborah occasionally found separating them. The portcullis had been raised this time, invisible, but when the doctor had mentioned parents and a visit, Deborah heard the sudden rasp, and down it clanged between them. (4.21)
Deborah has a love/hate relationship with isolation. We get introduced to this medieval gate when she's talking with Dr. Fried. The second Dr. Fried mentions that Deborah's parents want to come visit, Deborah hears the gate slam down.
Quote #7
Deborah saw again the uncrossable expanse between herself and the species called 'human being.' (13.1)
Here, student nurses are touring D ward, and Deborah locks eyes with one of them. The nurse says out loud that t Deborah looks at her as if she were looking through her, as if she weren't even there. Deborah tries to comfort the nurse and acknowledge her existence, but her cryptic choice of words—"Wrong not" (13.1)—doesn't quite get across what she means. This only freaks the nurse out more and leaves Deborah feeling once again like she doesn't belong among the people of Earth.
Quote #8
Did any two people, even in the World, speak the same language? (20.44)
Do you ever feel like no one could ever understand you on the deepest level? Not to get personal or anything. This is something that people want, but it's also something that people are afraid of. Instead of being vulnerable, we often want to just shut down and not let people get too close to us.
Quote #9
It was not possible to tell them how immense she found the distance between herself and the rest of the human race, even if she were of human substance. (25.3)
When Deborah goes home for a five-day visit after being at the mental hospital for over two years, she feels grateful for the attention and company of her family, but she's overwhelmed by the contact and constant streams of conversation. It makes her feel profoundly that she's not totally there yet when it comes to her mental health.
Quote #10
They seemed so young and strong and golden in the late sun. It had taken all of her capacities, every drop of her will, to come as far as they had come laughing and easy. The wall between them was still there and it would always be there. She could see through it now, to where the world offered its immense beauty, but she would burn away all her strength just staying alive. (29.82)
Deborah feels isolated from the healthy kids she sees at the local high school. After she gets her GED scores back, she walks the grounds at that high school to celebrate. She watches the boys on the field practicing sports. She wonders if she'll ever feel like she belongs.