How we cite our quotes: Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #7
A few weeks in, the bustling stopped, the usefulness stopped […] He woke up dull-eyed. Now he watches TV, surfs porn, watches porn on TV. He eats a lot of delivery food, the Styrofoam shells propped up near the overflowing trash can. He doesn't talk to me, as if the act of talking physically pains him and I am a vicious woman to ask it of him. (12.10)
Nick may face being laid off with dignity at first, but his attempts to learn another language and read War and Peace eventually deteriorate into the "malaise" he describes earlier in the book. As with the drinking, Nick begins to numb his dissatisfaction with his circumstances by engaging in destructive habits like porn, overeating, and not talking to his wife.
Quote #8
The barrier gate to the Mervyn's had been busted through, so the store was open as wide and welcoming as the morning of a President's Day sale […]. A few guys barely opened an eye as we passed, others were out cold. In a far corner, two kids not long out of their teens were maniacally reciting the Gettysburg Address. Now we are engaged in a great civil war. (15.138)
When was the last time you saw bizarre characters like this while kicking it at the mall? Flynn's haunting descriptions of North Carthage's decrepit, abandoned shopping center go a long way toward capturing the discontented mood of the town. Drug addicts, dealers, homeless people, manic teenagers, and gangs all congregate in what was once the economic hub of the town.
Quote #9
"You don't have to answer, but I'm going to guess no. Amy was not happy. For whatever reason. I'm not even going to ask. I can guess, but I'm not going to ask. But I know you must know this: Amy likes to play God when she's not happy. Old Testament God." (37.110)
We know from our discussion of "Revenge" as a theme that Amy is addicted to making people pay for even the slightest infraction against her. One of the roots of that vengefulness, though, is her own dissatisfaction with her life. She doesn't just end relationships when she gets tired of them or when people do things that insult her—she pours her wrath on them.