How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"And I’ll look over the whole field of knowledge and pick out something and really know about it, so I’ll have it to hang on to if I go to pieces again" (2.10.30).
It’s important to notice how sincere Nicole is about trying to get well, and how seriously she takes learning. She’s a very ambitious woman. She’s a planner (think of her organizational skills) and a dreamer. In the life she’s caught up in, shopping and entertaining uproot her plans for study.
Quote #8
"There’s no mystery. I didn’t disgrace myself at the height of my career, and hide away on the Riviera. I’m just not practising. You can’t tell, I’ll probably practise again some day" (1.15.6).
This is right after Rosemary first hears that Dick is some kind of doctor. He hasn’t given up his dream to practice, but he makes it sound pretty distant in this moment.
Quote #9
"Beaten to death in a speakeasy."
This sentence haunts Dick as he moves toward his climactic breakdown. Abe North was once so full of promise. Remember when he first stayed with the Divers? He was in his room playing piano so much that the maid thought he was a ghost. This passage shows Abe’s dreams, hopes, and plans utterly crushed. And Abe is the only one in the group who actually dies. What do we make of that?