Quotes/Explanations:

Quotes/explanations:

• "It's because you dont want to. It's not you who is carrying this---" She cut off monster, afraid of antagonishing him. Pg. 47
  After giving birth to four children Harriet is surprised that her fifth child is giving her a hard time. She’s upset and irritated that the pregnancy isn’t going the same as before. Her trouble before the pregnancy foreshadows that things will not go well later.
• "Some of them came back. Not Molly, or Fredrick, who did not forgive her for bringing Ben back; nor will they ever, she knew" Pg. 93
  No one understood the maternal instincts that Harriet has. Everyone was glad when they send Ben to the institute but Harriet felt as if she gave up on Ben without trying. She couldn’t stand giving up on one of her children and living with the guilt.
• “Good God,” James, admiring but awed. “ Well it’s just as well I make so much money”( pg. 26)
  It’s helpful to both Harriet and David that James makes a lot of money because he’s financially supporting their family. Without James and his money the family couldn’t possibly afford the house or the children.
• "You two go on as if you believe if you don't grab everything, then you'll lose it...You'll regret it. in my view" (pg. 15)
  It’s somewhat exemplifies how Harriet and David rushed into things. They didn’t take time in discussing how to support the family financially or how they were going to take care of the children. In the end this quote foreshadowed how the family starts falling apart because of their swiftness.
• “Harriet had said to David, privately, that she did not believe it was bad luck: Sarah and William’s unhappiness, their quarrelling had probably attracted the mongol child…” ( pg. 22)
  After reading more into the book it could be said that Harriet brought it upon herself by criticizing Amy. By talking about how abnormal Amy was from the others she attracted “bad luck” upon herself.
• “ If a dose of some sedative kept the enemy ---of so she thought of this savage thing inside her…” Pg,40-41) Harriet started to dislike the baby before it was even born. By using words like enemy and savage we see how her character changes. We get the sense that she doesn’t want the baby because of her anger towards it.
• “It’s either him or us” said David to Harriet( pg 74)After the birth of Ben David hasn’t even held the baby. He looked with disdain towards Ben and doesn’t take care of him like he does to the other children. By telling Harriet that he doesn’t consider Ben a part of the family he’s making Harriet choose between Ben or the rest of the family.
• She said softly, for him to hear, “All right, I am a criminal. But they were murdering him.”( pg.87) Ben is capable of understanding which is why he clearly showed fear when Harriet asked him that question. Although he doesn’t listen he was clearly terrified by the remembrance of the institution.
• “Ben, do you remember that place you went to in the van? “(101) After going through some days without Ben, Harriet felt like she abandoned her child without trying. When she found Ben in the institution she realized that Ben was different, indeed, yet he was still her child and that she loved him.
• “A hand went up to shield his face, and he looked through the spread fingers as if this hand could protect him.” (pg. 102) Even though Ben is strong he is well aware of the capabilities of the institution that he was send to. He is clearly frightened to death about ever returning to the place. He also is reminded every once in a while that if he doesn’t behave he might go which clearly petrifies him.