How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
A fissure of thunder resounded in the distance, and before there was time to close any of the new windows, or even their new curtains, a wind of haunting speed and strength breathed through the house, blowing over the floral centerpieces and tossing the place settings into the air. (19.6)
Safran and Zosha's wedding is both an ill omen (well, that wind seems to signify that it is) and a blessing, because the guest list of the wedding serves as one of the final records of the village's population. Yikes. How's that for a honeymoon memory?
Quote #8
Wasn't everything that had happened, from his first kiss to this, his first marital infidelity, the inevitable result of circumstances over which he had no control? How guilty could he be, really, when he never had any real choice? (20.1)
Deep thoughts, Shmoopers. Is Safran a philanderer because of fate or is he just a man of loose morals (and looser trousers)? And would it change your answer if we told you about the possible genetic basis of infidelity?
Quote #9
"His arm […] caused Augustine to fall in love with him and save him, and it saved him once again, years later, when it prevented him from boarding the New Ancestry to Ellis Island, which would be turned back […] and whose passengers would all eventually perish in the Treblinka death camp." (20.5)
Safran's arm seems to save him from a couple of terrible fates. Honestly, his life would have been very different if he wasn't malnourished—not that we're approving of malnourishment as a general child-rearing strategy, of course.