How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
“My parents said if I want to go someplace over Christmas break this year, they'll pay for it. I so want to go somewhere. Anywhere but Mercy Falls. God, anywhere but Mercy Falls!” (5.34)
This quote is either representative of Rachel's desperate desire for freedom, or her parent's desperate desire to be free of her for a few weeks.
Quote #2
A car [...] meant freedom. (6.17)
We're not sure why Grace wants a car, and wants freedom, because she doesn't seem to have any desire to leave Mercy Falls.
Quote #3
I imagined myself there among them in the golden wood. (9.22)
Grace wants the freedom of being a wolf and running in the woods. She feels confined in her human lifestyle... at least she does whenever Sam is a wolf.
Quote #4
What was I going to do, hide in Grace's house all winter, fearing every creeping draft? (27.21)
Sam's disease forces him to stay inside to stay human. Is it worth it, being trapped, to stay who you want to be?
Quote #5
It was hard to remember what was important about sitting in a classroom with a stack of notes that would be meaningless by next year. (28.3)
For Grace, school is a form of confinement. She wants to be out in the world with Sam, but instead she's stuck in school every day.
Quote #6
“Schoolbooks. We're going to educate you properly so you don't grow up to be an idiot.” (29.12)
In contrast to the previous quote, education was like a freedom to Sam when he was being raised. Through books, he was able to see parts of the world that he'd never be able to see because of his condition.
Quote #7
Beck had told me not to leave the house, so of course I was out walking in the evening. (33.22)
It's a universal truth that when a teenager is told to stay inside, he or she will want to leave.
Quote #8
“What are you reading?” [...] “Bel Canto” (39.20)
Bel Canto—a book about a hostage situation—is the perfect book to symbolize freedom and confinement. This also ties into Grace's idea that she's experiencing Stockholm Syndrome—sympathizing with her “captors,” the wolves—because this is what happens in Ann Patchett's magical novel.
Quote #9
“I just want to get away for a little bit. Mini vacation. A few hours in someone else's life, you know?” (43.67)
Grace's little mini-vacay allows her and Sam to do whatever they want to do, without worrying about friends, parents, or wolves interfering. It's interesting that by living “someone else's life,” Grace is actually able to be more true to herself.
Quote #10
Beck leaped back and slammed the door, locking it. The doorknob had been reversed so that the lock was on the outside, making me wonder how often this sort of thing had happened before. (50.17)
While some people—like Shelby and Olivia—see being a wolf as a form of freedom, sometimes it's necessary to employ confinement as a disciplinary measure. The only want to ground a werewolf, though, is to literally lock them inside a room with no way out. So, as a father figure, this is exactly what Beck does to Sam.