Jellicoe Road Mortality Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

But the worst photos are those of the parents. Their faces are so drawn and grief-stricken. They want their children back. I look at the faces of the girls around me and wonder who would look that grief-stricken for half of them. If something happens to me, whose face will be on the front page of the paper begging for me? (4.44)

What's really sad about Taylor's observation here is that a lot of the students who are morbidly fascinated by the serial killer—including Jessa—are probably asking themselves that same question. Maybe it's the idea of leaving people behind that would miss them that causes Jessa in particular to so closely follow the case.

Quote #5

"My father cried… I'd never seen him cry… He told me that the Hermit had a kid."

I feel sick. Up till now the Hermit had never possessed a life. He was just this madman who lived in the bush. But to know that he left someone behind… (8.132-133)

It's easy to look at eccentric people like the Hermit and just see their weirdness, not the story that lies below it. Personal details, though, can help them become human and real. Of course for Taylor, learning about the kid is what brings her one step closer to seeing the Hermit as Fitz.

Quote #6

"Do you know why I couldn't count how long it took my mother to die? […] Because she flew out that window […] And I knew she was dead straightaway because she didn't have a head, Jude, and I stayed in that spot […] Because if I moved an inch, Webb would see her, and I would have died right there if I knew that Webb saw her like that." (14.120)

Narnie's decision to shield Webb from her mother's body shows that while she's extremely fragile, she has an inner strength and bravery that she probably isn't even aware she possesses. Perhaps it's this strength that enables Hannah to go on with life after her brother's death and to guide other young girls at the school.