How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
If. The smallest word, which raises the biggest questions. If Sig had been with Einar that morning, what then? If Einar had been more honest with them, what then? And what if, what if Einar had taken the Colt with him? Would he still be alive? (2.1)
A million questions come to Sig's mind when he finds his dad dead on the ice. He's just not sure what the truth is—but he's about to learn some pretty dark truths about his dad.
Quote #2
The horror of seeing his father frozen to death hammered into him, but there was something worse. As Sig looked frantically but hopelessly around, he pieced together what had happened, and he knew his father had died an utterly pathetic and pitiful death. (3.19)
People tell Sig that his dad's death wasn't as bad as he thinks it was, but he knows there's no way anyone can possibly know what it feels like to freeze to death. Is the truth better to know, even when it's not good news?
Quote #3
"Here's how the game works. I will ask you a question. If you tell me the right answer, I will walk out of here, get my horse, and leave. If you don't tell me the right answer, I will stay here. And if you tell me an answer that is wrong…" (20.15)
Did you notice to ellipses at the end of the sentence? There's a big pause after Wolff gives Sig this ultimatum, perhaps because it's a big question. It shows us that Wolff isn't just after the truth; he wants an answer he likes.
Quote #4
"The truth of it? You want to know the truth? None of these miners, the prospectors, are ever going to be rich. Most of them will keep finding just enough gold dust to make them think their dreams are around the corner, but they will never come. Some will even find a strike, and be rich for a few days till they blow it all. And the only people who are actually going to get rich are you and me, the people in the town running businesses." (22.14)
That's one tough pill to swallow. It's hard to hear the truth, and it turns out not all the miners want to know this. Can you blame them? They've left everything at home and boarded a ship to a new life in hopes of striking it rich.
Quote #5
The beauty of the relationship among the three of them, Einar soon realized, was that none of them trusted the other. Mr. Wells would scrutinize his record books, scratching away with a brass nib pen, but all the while he'd keep one eye twisted toward Einar. Einar went about his work methodically, and all the while kept his eye on Figges, who looked like a murderer who just hadn't found anyone to murder yet. (24.4)
It's funny that none of them trust each other—but then again, it's also absolutely necessary. Einar is stealing gold right in front of them after all. It makes you wonder whether they ever learned the truth about his, shall we say, side hustle.
Quote #6
"Don't play with me. You might have deceived those idiots you work with, but you don't deceive me. I want half. I know how you do it. I want half, and in return, I keep my silence. Yes? A partnership. We are partners." (26.19)
Wolff says this to Einar when he discovers the gold scam the guy's been running the entire time. At first Einar plays dumb, but he knows that sooner or later, he'll have to come clean and tell everyone the truth.
Quote #7
"Always tell the truth. Never lie, for Satan uses lies against us. Turn the other cheek. Be good and peaceful and avoid the path to evil." (30.1)
Maria's advice to Sig is so simple, and yet Einar isn't even following it. This is tricky for Sig to understand because he thinks his dad is hypocritical for going along with this advice while he lying to his family the whole time.
Quote #8
His mother had always taught him to speak the truth and to believe in it as the only path to God, and yet Einar had kept the truth from them for years and landed them in this mess. (30.9)
We want to know: Is the fact that Einar lied the problem, or is the problem that the truth finally came out? The way Sig states this makes us think it might not be the lie itself, but what happens afterwards. What do you think?
Quote #9
I have something for all of you, but I have hidden it until I know it is safe for you to have it. One day, a man will come. And only when he has gone again, will it be safe for you to have it. When he has gone, take this map and start a new life. I know you can do this, for you are all wonderful and clever people. (39.15)
The note from Einar finally tells Sig the truth about the gold—and where it is—but it doesn't say how his dad got the gold. It seems like Einar is only interested in sharing bits and pieces with his family, even after his death.
Quote #10
It had been years until they'd found out how he'd done it; how he'd smuggled all that gold from right under everyone's noses, grain by grain all through that season. One day Sig had bumped into an old miner from the Alaskan gold rush, who'd told him about all the dodges under the sun, including the one about how gold dust will stick to damp fingers, which can then be transferred unseen to hair that's been slicked carefully through with hair oil. (39.17)
Years later, Sig and his family learn the truth about how Einar stole gold without people knowing. The only thing is, we're not sure if the truth helps them at all—while it's good to know, there is no big reveal or nasty consequences for the lies they believed all those years. In the end, we're not sure if the truth matters to the characters.