How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Was I prepared to accept the consequences, I asked myself as I examined my body in the mirror in the candle-lit coldness of the night. And replied to myself aloud, with the brave arrogance of untried youth, "Yes. Yes, I am." (15.34)
When deciding to go to Jacob, Geertrui asks herself these questions, and decides to go hook up with him. We see that she's an adult not because of what she does with Jacob, but because she's willing to live with the consequences of whatever happens—and has the foresight to think of the consequences before she acts.
Quote #8
In the few weeks since we had last seen each other Dirk and I had lived through experiences that changed us. Neither was a youth any longer. We had entered into a new, adult phase. We both recognised this as soon as we looked in to the other's eyes before a word was said. And so our greeting was quieter than it would have been before, a little wary, but more tender too. (19.12)
We'd like to think not much can change in a few weeks, but by the time Dirk comes back from the Resistance, he's a different person, and so is Geertrui. They've experienced death and loss in ways that most young adults haven't, and this makes them bond together.
Quote #9
"Perhaps you lost some of your childhood innocence. Every time we learn an important lesson about life we suffer a sense of loss. That's my experience. We gain. But there's a cost." (22.66)
Alma says this about Jacob's sad experience at Anne Frank's house, and we think she's right. He wants to imagine that Anne is his own personal friend, but in reality, her book is one of the most widely read across the world. It's hard to change your idea about something without feeling a bit sad or emotional, just like Jacob does when he visits her house.