How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I don't think there really is such a country," he concluded after studying it [the map] carefully. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway." And he closed his eyes and poked a finger at the map. (1.27)
Because Milo doesn't believe the "country" shown on the map is real, in a weird way, he doesn't have to worry about what might happen if he goes there. He temporarily has the carefree feeling of getting to imagine what it would be like to visit part of it, because he doesn't think he'll "really" end up getting there in the long run.
Quote #2
Suddenly he found himself speeding along an unfamiliar country highway, and as he looked back over his shoulder neither the tollbooth nor his room nor even the house was anywhere in sight. What had started as make-believe was now very real. (2.1)
It's almost like Milo outsmarted himself here. He didn't think the version of reality presented in the map was a real one, so he set out on a "journey" with no thought for the consequences. But the journey ends up being "real." Uh-oh. Do you think he's excited at this point, or totally terrified?
Quote #3
"Easy as falling off a log," cried the earl, falling off a log with a loud thump.
"Must you be so clumsy?" shouted the duke.
"All I said was – " began the earl, rubbing his head.
"We heard you," said the minister angrily, "and you'll have to find an expression that's less dangerous." (3.86-89)
In our world, we can use "expression[s]" that are as flamboyant and "dangerous" as we want. In fact, the more descriptive and vivid the expression, the better off we might be in conveying the idea or mood we're trying to communicate. But in Dictionopolis, expressions are literal. So if you say one, it actually happens. The next time you use an expression, an idiom, or other figurative language, stop and think about what would happen if you literally had to carry out the words of that expression. It just might be worse than falling off a log.
Quote #4
"But that's just as bad," protested Milo.
"You mean just as good," corrected the Humbug. "Things which are equally bad are also equally good. Try to look on the bright side of things."
"I don't know which side of anything to look at," protested Milo. "Everything is so confusing and all your words only make things worse." (8.17-19)
This is like the classic glass half full/half empty debate – which is it? Whatever side of the fence you're on, you have to admit there's some water in the glass. That's what the Humbug is trying to do here: get Milo to step back and view an issue from both sides. But Milo's not used to that, and the idea of seeing one thing two ways totally throws him for a loop.
Quote #5
Soon all traces of Dictionopolis had vanished in the distance and all those strange and unknown lands that lay between the kingdom of words and the kingdom of numbers stretched before them. It was late afternoon and the dark-orange sun floated heavily over the distant mountains. A friendly, cool breeze slapped playfully at the car, and the long shadows stretched out lazily from the trees and bushes. (9.1)
All the characteristics of the scene described here – the time of day, the sun in the sky, the shadows filling the background – could be used in any landscape in the real world. They seem normal. The sun's the right color (pretty much). There are mountains in the distance, just like there would be in another normal landscape. But the characters aren't on an American highway or the Oregon Trail. They're between Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, and the things in those cities are as unlike the cities back home as Milo could imagine.
Quote #6
"How can you see something that isn't there?" yawned the Humbug, who wasn't fully awake yet.
"Sometimes it's much simpler than seeing things that are," he [Alec] said. "For instance, if something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn't there, you can see it just as well with your eyes closed. That's why imaginary things are often easier to see than real ones." (10.46-47)
What do you make of Alec's explanation? Do you buy it? Is it "easier to see" the "imaginary things"? Sometimes it might be harder. At the beginning of the book, after all, it seems like it might have been harder for Milo to see imaginary things, but it doesn't seem so hard. There are whole worlds inside his mind, and he can open the door to them at any time. Sweet.
Quote #7
There, piled into enormous mounds that reached almost to the ceiling, were not only diamonds and emeralds and rubies but also sapphires, amethysts, topazes, moonstones, and garnets. It was the most amazing mass of wealth that any of them had ever seen.
"They're such a terrible nuisance," sighed the Mathemagician, "and no one can think of what to do with them. So we just keep digging them up and throwing them out. Now," he said, taking a silver whistle from his pocket and blowing it loudly, "let's have some lunch." (14.79-80)
In our reality, we'd probably go bananas walking into a room like this. Imagine all these gems scattered far and wide. How could anyone possibly conceive of so many jewels as just trash, when they're so valuable? But in Digitopolis, nothing compares to numbers. Other valuable things dug up out of the ground are just "a terrible nuisance." We guess the old saying is true – one man's trash is another man's treasure. Or is it the other way around?
Quote #8
"Oh dear," said Milo sadly and softly. "I only eat when I'm hungry."
"What a curious idea," said the Mathemagician, raising his staff over his head and scrubbing the rubber end back and forth several times on the ceiling. "The next thing you'll have us believe is that you only sleep when you're tired." (15.30-31)
Hmm. Once again, things in the Lands Beyond seem exactly opposite to our own reality. For the most part, we agree with Milo. We "eat when [we're] hungry" and "sleep when [we're] tired." But for the Mathemagician, who's really interested in negative numbers, you eat to feel less full and, presumably, sleep when you feel most awake.
Quote #9
Cringing with fear, the monsters of Ignorance turned in flight and, with anguished cries too horrible ever to forget, returned to the damp, dark places from which they came. The Humbug sighed with relief, and Milo and the princesses prepared to greet the victorious army. (19.21)
This sentence, especially when pulled away from its neighbors for observation, seems like a metaphor gone wild. It's like a huge jolt of figurative language that connects ignorance to darkness. In the Lands Beyond, though, this language isn't metaphorical. It's factual. The monsters are real, and so is the darkness they come from.
Quote #10
The road raced ahead in a series of gentle curves that began to look familiar, and off in the distance the solitary tollbooth appeared, a welcome sight indeed. In a few minutes he reached the end of his journey, deposited his coin, and drove through. And, almost before realizing it, he was sitting in the middle of his own room again. (20.3)
What do you think this drive back to reality was like for Milo? Disappointing? Reassuring? Do you think he'll assume it was all just a dream? Or is it more real than anything he has experienced in life so far?