This Side of Paradise Marriage Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

In her less important moments she returned to America, met Stephen Blaine and married him—this almost entirely because she was a little bit weary, a little bit sad. (1.1.3)

Amory's mother Beatrice is a fairly depressed person, and it's during one of her funks that she travels to America and marries Amory's father Stephen. It's not a great reason to get married, and it hammers home the message for Amory that marriage ain't always romantic.

Quote #2

"I'd marry that girl tonight." (1.1.251)

Amory admires people who can express their feelings clearly and without any hesitation. In this case, one of his friends says that he'd like to marry an actress he's just seen on a Broadway stage. Now this would have been during a time when actresses were thought to be scandalous people. But this dude doesn't care, and Amory wishes he were more like his buddy.

Quote #3

"Oh!" Amory gasped in horror. "She wouldn't think of marrying… that is, not now. I mean the future, you know." (1.2.373)

When asked whether he's going to marry Isabelle Borgé, Amory answers that Isabelle isn't interested in marrying yet. But in truth, he's probably talking about himself.