How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
And so instead I tell him of the things I do believe in, the things I know to be true only because of faith. I tell him the stories my mother used to tell me about life before the Return.
I tell him about the ocean. (5.29-30)
Mary loses her faith in God after her mother's death (well, her mostly-death, anyhow). In many ways, her God then becomes her dream of the ocean and freedom from zombies, and she tells her ocean stories instead of praying. She never quits believing in her dream, and follows it no matter how much those around her are filled with doubt. Sounds like religion, eh?
Quote #5
Someone from Outside has come to our village and as I sit and stare at the flames I know deep in my being that this is what I have been waiting for, what I have wished for even though I never realized it before this moment. (7.55)
Ever had a wish like that? Something you didn't even know you needed until you got it? Mary's always dreamed of life outside the village, but she's never had the moxie to step outside the gates. With Gabrielle's arrival, she realizes that her dream isn't impossible or ridiculous after all. That's a pretty big deal, folks.
Quote #6
"Can we drink the ocean, Mary? Will your precious ocean save us when we're dying here on this path?" (20.39)
If anyone is Mary's foil, it's Cass. Once the happy-go-lucky sunshine girl, life has turned Cass into Rhonda the Realist. Hope? Crazy talk. Dreams? Stupid. Love? Overrated. While Mary clings to her dreams to maintain her sanity, Cass clings to realism to save hers.