Admiration Quotes in Mortal Engines

It's important to realize that Tom isn't proud that he won a prize due to his own hard work; he's proud that he got to see Valentine give a speech. Wethinks Tom might have a little man-crush on Valentine.

Here's how it happened, Tom: your hero just pushed you to your death. But you're so blinded by your idolization of Valentine that you don't even see the betrayal right away. How's that for appearances being deceiving?

Now Tom is rewriting history to keep from believing that his hero would push him in a long hole to nowhere. He's so in denial, he's blaming himself.

Katherine has loving-daughter eyes for her father. She sees him as a person who can do no wrong. While Valentine might not be able to shoot a wolf cub (please—we're sure he can), he's able to cut throats and blow up cities. Katherine just doesn't know it yet.

This little comment from Hester shows her admiration at the same time that throws an insult at Tom. But the admiration part is key. Hester also admires what her mother did, as a Historian, so maybe that's a quality in Tom she can grow to admire.

Should Tom be ashamed for loving Valentine? Maybe. Valentine's done some pretty despicable things, but's he's also done some wonderful things. Why do the bad things tend to define a person more than good? Think of all the celebrity and political scandals you've seen. Then again, when the things you are this bad, it's hard to overlook them just because you're nice to your own kid.

Tom blushes less out of love than out of admiration. Hester's clearly too ugly for Tom to love. (Hey, he said she it, not us.) But he does admire her courage and her independence.

Tom's views on Valentine are conflicting. He feels pride because this guy is his hero. Valentine's practically God. But he feels fear because Valentine might kill everyone. This mix isn't just strange; it's volatile. No wonder Tom is so conflicted.

It's incredible that even this late in the book, even after he knows all the evil Valentine has wrought, Tom still finds Valentine's daring feats "courageous." We're not sure if Tom will ever get over his admiration for this man, and okay, even we have to admit that there are aspects of him worth admiring.

Katherine's such a sweet, loving daughter. At this point, she knows exactly how despicable his father is, but she still admires him. The interesting thing is that we never get inside Valentine's head. You're probably not clouded by admiration for the man; do you think he'd rather be outside helping with the rescue work?