How we cite our quotes: (Book.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He paused briefly, allowing Mae to catch her breath. She'd seen these talks online, but being here, in person, seeing Bailey's mind at work, hearing his off-the-cuff eloquence—it was better than she thought possible. What would it be like, she thought, to be someone like that, eloquent and inspirational, so at ease in front of thousands? (1.8.9)
Throughout The Circle, does Mae Holland encounter any women who inspire her with as much admiration and respect as Eamon Bailey does? In other words, what female role models does Mae have to look up to when she joins the Circle?
Quote #2
"You have a glow."
"You do."
"I do not have a glow."
"Like you're with child."
"I know what you meant. Stop." (1.9.5-9)
After Mae Holland's first week of work at the Circle, her parents can't get over how happy she looks. Notice how they compare her sense of professional achievement and contentment to the "glow" that some women get when they're pregnant?
Quote #3
And then Mae found herself sobbing. Her father was a mess. […] And there was nothing she could do for him. No, there was too much to do for him. She could quit her job. She could quit and help make the phone calls, fight the many fights to keep him well. This is what a good daughter would do. What a good child, an only child, would do. (1.10.18)
The backtracking that we see in this passage is really interesting. At first, Mae Holland beats herself up because she isn't stepping into the caregiving role that a good daughter would be willing to take on. After having that thought, though, she corrects herself (the narrator is speaking in free indirect discourse here) and says that it's what any child would do, regardless of gender. Why does Mae choose not to make this about gender?
Quote #4
"You're still so off-balance! I like that," Francis said.
"You like a woman who's off-balance."
"Especially in my presence. I want you on your toes, off-balance, intimidated, handcuffed, and willing to prostrate yourself at my command." (1.11.34-36)
Early on in her relationship with Francis Garaventa, Mae Holland gets some clear warning signs that this guy is far from being a catch. But, for whatever reason, she decides to let this comment slide. How does Mae's relationship with Francis give us early clues to the decisions that she's likely to make later on? How much of this is about gender, and how much of it is about the general power structure at the Circle?
Quote #5
"But you're the one that has to handle it? All of Washington?"
"They give me some of the government-hassle stuff because, I don't know, because they think my dimples help. Maybe they do. I don't know. I just wish there were five of me." (1.15.105-106)
How serious is Annie Allerton being in this passage? She has a master's degree from Stanford and is one of the Circle's Group of 40, and yet she jokes that the Circle sends her out to deal with critical governments because of her looks. If she's right, what does this say about gender dynamics at the Circle?
Quote #6
"Her name is Mae Holland," Francis said, and for the first time, looked down to her. Her face was in her hands, her eyes peeking from under her trembling fingers. With an almost imperceptible tilt of his head, he seemed to register that Mae wasn't entirely comfortable with the proceedings thus far, but just as soon as he acknowledged her, he turned back to Gus, grinning like a game-show host. (1.16.33)
This is the first time that we see Francis Garaventa exposing Mae Holland publicly without her consent, and, over the course of the novel, Francis' behavior is going to escalate. Why might "consent" be such an important theme in The Circle, and why might it have particularly gendered connotations?
Quote #7
So what had so mortified her during Gus's presentation? She couldn't put her finger on it. Was it only the surprise of it? Was it the pinpoint accuracy of the algorithms? Maybe. But then again, it wasn't entirely accurate, so was that the problem? Having a matrix of preferences presented as your essence, as the whole you? Maybe that was it. It was some kind of mirror, but it was incomplete, distorted. And if Francis wanted any or all of that information, why couldn't he just ask her? (1.17.7)
From what you can gather throughout The Circle, what qualities does Mae Holland seem to value in the men she chooses to be with? In other words, what exactly is she looking for in a romantic partner, and what does that suggest about her personality?
Quote #8
"Hi Mae," a face said as it floated, gorgeous and smiling, toward her. "I'm Dr. Villalobos."
Mae shook the doctor's hand, mouth agape. The woman was too glamorous for this, for this room, for Mae. She was no more than forty, with a black ponytail and luminous skin. Elegant reading glasses hung from her neck, briefly followed the line of her cream-colored jacket, and rested on her ample chest. She was wearing two-inch heels. (1.23.10-11)
The ultra-sexy lady doctor is a pretty outdated cliché, and so you may be surprised to see it crop up in The Circle. What might Dave Eggers be getting at here?
Quote #9
"What, were you filming us?" she joked.
"Maybe," he said, his tone making clear that he had.
"Wait. Seriously?"
Mae reached for the phone.
"Don't," he said. "It's mine." He shoved it into his pocket.
"It's yours? What we just did is yours?" (1.31.93-98)
If you spend any time on the internet, then you can probably think of at least two or three high-profile cases of young women (and sometimes men) who were filmed or photographed in sexual situations and then exposed online. By showing us that the culture at the Circle condones and enables this kind of behavior, Dave Eggers raises some serious questions about the company's "progressivism" when it comes to society's treatment of women, or really anyone in such a situation.
Quote #10
"No, no. Not at all. But you're not the ambassador. You're the face of it. The benign, friendly face of it all. And the closing of the Circle—it's what you and your friend Francis made possible. Your mandatory Circle account idea, and his chip. TruYouth? It's sick, Mae. Don't you see?" (2.27.39)
Just as Annie Allerton believes that her dimples may have something to do with the role she plays at the Circle, so too does Mae Holland's "benign, friendly face" make her an excellent figurehead for the company. What does it say about the Circle if women like Annie and Mae are there to look nice and make people feel comfortable?