How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The storm moved off farther west, along with any hope of rain. But the image of the fist and thumb remained in Stanley's head. Although, instead of lightning flashing behind the thumb, in Stanley's mind, the lightning was coming out of the thumb, as if it were the thumb of God. (29.24)
This is a pretty deep moment. For Stanley, the land itself is like the source of God's judgment. Do we see this attitude reflected anywhere else in the book?
Quote #5
After a while he thought he could make out the shape of the mountains through the haze. At first he wasn't sure if this was another kind of mirage, but the farther he walked, the clearer they came into view. Almost straight ahead of him, he could see what looked like a fist, with its thumb sticking up.
He didn't know how far away it was. Five miles? Fifty miles? One thing was certain. It was more than halfway.
He kept walking toward it, although he didn't know why. He knew he'd have to turn around before he got there. But every time he looked at it, it seemed to encourage him, giving him the thumbs-up sign. (34.7-9)
It looks like we forgot a character in our "Character Analyses" section: the landscape. Nature encourages Stanley when he most needs it; or at least, that's how Stanley interprets it.
Quote #6
As they climbed higher, the patches of weeds grew thicker, and they had to be careful not to get their feet tangled in thorny vines. Stanley suddenly realized something. There hadn't been any weeds on the lake.
"Weeds and bugs," he said. "There's got to be water around somewhere. We must be getting close." (37.20-21)
As Stanley and Zero get farther up the mountain, the land becomes more fertile and full of life. Weeds and bugs are generally regarded as unpleasant, but, like the stinky onions, they are the messy expressions of lots of things going on underneath the surface. Compare this to the dry, shriveled landscape directly around Camp Green Lake, where everything generally remains the same. Pretty stark contrast, right?