Family Quotes in On the Beach

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"Will the ship be at sea for much of that time, sir? [...] Things aren't too easy now, compared with what they used to be, and it's a bit difficult at home." (1.57)

Raising a family in the wake of a nuclear apocalypse is no walk in the park, people. And that goes double when the man of the house is forced to go on several months-long submarine trips across the planet. As you can already see, the Holmes family is stuck in a tough spot.

Quote #2

In the tranquility of the church he set himself to think about his family, and to visualize them. [...] He would be going back to them in September, home from his travels. (2.16)

In contrast to Peter, Dwight is tortured by his lack of family. His wife and two children had been home in Connecticut when the war broke out, which almost certainly means that they were killed in the bombing. Despite this, he treasures their memory as if they were still alive and thinks of them when the going gets tough.

Quote #3

She had known for some time that his wife and family were [...] more real by far than the half-life in a far corner of the world. (3.303)

At times, it's almost as if Dwight believes that his family is still alive, which is sometimes charming and sometimes unsettling. We're not quite sure where we land on the issue, but there's no debating how important Dwight's family is to him, no matter what the situation is.