How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The place isn't big. I have to struggle to keep a path clear between bed and toilet, toilet and kitchen table, kitchen table and front door. (1.1)
Leo's cluttered apartment is a potent symbol of the cluttered nature of his mind—both filled with things from his past that he cannot discard.
Quote #2
They lived in a sunny house covered with bougainvillea in Ramat Gan. My father planted an olive tree and a lemon tree in the garden, and dug a little trench around each for water to collect. (2.11)
Usually people plant trees when they're planning on sticking around a place for a while, right? But Alma's parents leave, like, right after planting these trees. Who is her father planting them for, then? For the next tenants? Or for the sake of the trees themselves?
Quote #3
She didn't like America, but she didn't hate it, either. Two and a half years and eight gazillion books later, she had Bird. Then we moved to Brooklyn. (2.12)
Alma doesn't elaborate on her mother's feelings about America. So what are we supposed to think about her tepid feelings about it? Also, does this passage suggest that Bird is a stabilizing influence on the family?