How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
He tried to think of how very tired he was, but he wasn't tired. He felt more alive than he had at any time since Romola Martin. (12.6)
Faye manages to shake some of Homer's feelings of disappointment, but that's like fighting a forest fire with a Super Soaker. Interestingly, however, Homer is disappointed by the things he didn't do, which is a slightly different situation from the other main characters'.
Quote #5
Only those who still have hope can benefit from tears. [...] But to those without hope [...] whose anguish is basic and permanent, no good comes from crying. (12.12)
Wow—that's a tough pill to swallow. Although Tod does not consider Homer to be "a person who comes to California to die," he seems to fit the bill in more ways than one. He moved out after his retirement. He lives a boring life, even if he doesn't mind it. And, most importantly, he's really, really sad. So where's the distinction?
Quote #6
He began to wonder if he himself didn't suffer from the ingrained, morbid apathy he liked to draw in others. (19.119)
Huh, you think? Although Tod is adept at looking at other people and identifying their repressed feelings of disappointment, he frequently proves himself incapable of diagnosing the same sickness in himself.