How we cite our quotes: (Daysbefore.Paragraph) and (daysafter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Anyway, when you get in trouble, just don't tell on anyone. I mean, I hate the rich snots here with a fervent passion I usually reserve for only dental work and my father. But that doesn't mean I would rat them out. Pretty much the only important thing is never never never never rat."
"Okay, I said, although I wondered: If someone punches me in the face, I'm supposed to insist that I ran into a door? It seemed a little stupid. How do you deal with bullies and assholes if you can't get them in trouble? (128before.105-106)
Miles, as a new arrival at the Creek, has to learn not just the written rules of the school but also the unwritten rules of the social order. And sometimes (actually, quite often) unwritten rules are more important than written rules. The thought Miles has here is that of an outsider; his view on rules and order change as he becomes an insider.
Quote #2
The Colonel gave an obligatory laugh, then asked, "Want a smoke?" I had never smoked a cigarette, but when in Rome…
"Is it safe here?"
"Not really," he said, then lit a cigarette and handed it to me. (128before.90-92)
The phrase "When in Rome" is the short version of When in Rome, do as the Romans do. It means that it's to a person's advantage to adopt and mimic the customs of a society, especially when the person is unaware of many customs. (Side note: think about what the dialogue reveals about both the Colonel's and Miles's concerns for the rules.)
Quote #3
It was worse than the Duct Tape Incident, because I already knew that the Kevin Richmans of the world didn't like me. But my teachers had always been card-carrying members of the Miles Halter Fan Club. (110before.11)
Miles ends up kicked out of class and he hates it. He still hasn't gotten used to how the rules at the Creek function, and he's struggling to discover who he wants to reinvent himself as. To some extent he's content to reject the popular social order of students, but he doesn't want his rule-breaking behavior to alienate the teacher he most respects. It's hard to balance on this beam.
Quote #4
"I'll see you in Jury tomorrow at five," he announced, and then walked away. Alaska crouched down, picked up the cigarette she had thrown away, and started smoking again. The Eagle wheeled around, his sixth sense detecting Insubordination To Authority Figures. Alaska dropped the cigarette and stepped on it. The Eagle shook his head, and even though he must have been crazy mad, I swear to God he smiled.
"He loves me," Alaska told me as we walked back to the dorm circle. "He loves all y'all, too. He just loves the school more. That's the thing. He thinks busting us is good for the school and good for us. It's the eternal struggle, Pudge. The Good versus the Naughty." (99before.14-15)
Boy, is Alaska bold. Her analysis is pretty spot on though. The Eagle lives and breathes rules. Alaska thinks it's her job to break these rules, and the Eagle knows it's his job to bust the students. It's almost as if the Eagle appreciates a good rule-breaker because without the rule breakers, there would be no struggle and, arguably, no learning experiences.
Quote #5
I worried about it for a moment as I held the bottle by the neck, but I wanted to trust her, and so I did. I took a minor sip, and as soon as I swallowed, I felt my body rejecting the stinging syrup of it. It washed back up my esophagus, but I swallowed hard, and there, yes, I did it. I was drinking on campus. (52before.7)
Pay close attention to how Miles describes his first moment of rule-breaking by drinking on campus: he's worried, takes only a teeny sip, rejects it, and only through great effort on his part does he successfully violate the rules. We can see this instance as representative of how Miles feels about rules in general—he doesn't particularly like breaking them, but he can do it if he needs to, especially if that need involves social acceptance. Think about whether his stance changes as he progresses throughout the book.
Quote #6
"Front Three: The Progress Reports: We're going to hack into the faculty computer network and use their grading database to send out letters to Kevin et al.'s families saying that they are failing some of their classes."
"We are definitely going to get expelled," I said. (3before.22-23)
Miles chooses to go along with this prank, though he's worried about the consequences. Is he the voice of reason? And if he's so worried, why does he continue with the prank? What unwritten rules are influencing Miles at this point in the novel?
Quote #7
When the firecrackers finished, I heard, "STOP OR I'LL CALL THE POLICE!" And though the voice was distant, I could feel his Look of Doom bearing down on me […]
The Colonel warned us about the police threat, told us not to worry. The Eagle didn't like to bring the police to campus. Bad publicity. (3before.61, 63)
We get a glimpse of how adults deal with the rules and order outside of campus. The Eagle preferring to police his campus without official police involvement? That sounds an awful lot like how the students police their own social realm through pranking without involving the Eagle. Even more dangerous for the Eagle is the empty threat he utters about the police—he's clearly threatened students with the police too often for them to believe his words, almost like the boy who cried wolf. Which makes us wonder how important rule enforcement really is to the Eagle.
Quote #8
The nice thing about the constant threat of expulsion at Culver Creek is that it lends excitement to every moment of illicit pleasure. The bad thing, of course, is that there is always the possibility of actual expulsion. (3before.115)
And here Miles explains quite clearly why he breaks the rules: it leads him closer to his Great Perhaps. Also, it's fun. But the reward also has its risk, and the risk comes to a head when Alaska takes one risk too many.
Quote #9
The Eagle looked at me. He was crying, noiselessly. Tears just rolled from his eyes to his chin and then fell onto his corduroy pants. He stared at me, but it was not the Look of Doom. His eyes blinking the tears down his face, the Eagle looked, for all the world, sorry. (thedayafter.23)
We can only imagine what sort of thoughts and emotions are running through the Eagle's head as he announces Alaska's death because we're stuck with Miles as a narrator. It wouldn't be out of the question though, to think that the Eagle, much like Miles, feels responsibility for Alaska's death. If only he had been stricter, if only he had meted out more punishment, if only… To what extent is the somewhat lax enforcement of the rules at the Creek responsible for Alaska's death?
Quote #10
As I sat through my classes that morning, I could think of nothing else. Every junior in the school had known for two weeks, and so far not even the faintest rumor had leaked out. But the Creek was rife with gossips—particularly the Weekday Warriors, and if just one person told one friend who told one friend who told one friend who told the Eagle, everything would fall apart.
The Creek's don't-rat ethos withstood the test nicely. (102after.4-5)
This is a really good example of the strength of unwritten rules, deception, and loyalty. Even though the Eagle is the disciplinarian of the school, the pressure of the unwritten rule is stronger. It is arguably the strongest rule, written or unwritten, at the Creek.
Quote #11
"I know it was y'all," said the Eagle.
We look at him silently. He often bluffed. Maybe he was bluffing.
"Don't ever do anything like that again," he said. "But, Lord, 'subverting the patriarchal paradigm'—it's like she wrote the speech." He smiled and closed the door. (102after.44-46)
The Eagle's no idiot; he knows exactly how the social order at the Creek functions. He's stepped back into his role as enforcer, but he also appreciates the tribute to Alaska. Is it likely that he will crack down on students because of his belief in what rules and order provide them, or will he allow students the same freedom as before?