How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"How can dying be good for you," I asked.
"When living is worse," she replied matter-of-factly. (15.7-8)
Have you noticed how Miss Volker is willing to answer a lot of Jack's questions (when his parents often ignore these)? Some of the most important lessons Jack learns come out of these exchanges. And we love that she answers him "matter-of-factly." It seems like a lot of adults would try to hide the harsh reality that sometimes, especially if someone is old and sick, death seems preferable. But not Miss Volker. By treating Jack like an adult who deserves to know the truth, he starts to become an adult who deserves to know the truth.
Quote #5
The sharp peaks of her stiff knees and elbows made the sheet take on the shape of a small iceberg. I looked at it for a moment too long and began to think of the frosty remains of small animals I'd find in the woods just as the spring snow thawed. (17.26)
Here's a nice image to help your lunch go down: a morbid visual almost right out of a horror movie. Jack compares the dead body here to an iceberg, and this is a fitting description: cold and stiff (with lifelessness). No wonder his nose starts to bleed.
Quote #6
It was already a good day for death, and I was about to go down in history. (20.3)
You might have this thought, too, if a huge, bearded, tough-looking Hells Angel showed up unexpectedly in your backyard. Luckily, it's just the farrier, though Jack initially confuses him for the biker he saw trying to start the fire the night before. Why do you think Jack thinks it's "a good day for death"?