Literary Luminator: Section 3

I chose three quotes to study for this section of the text: Her precious watch. I'm not proud of this now, but that sound, which echoed in the tiled hallway, made me really happy. I sucked my bottom lip so that I wouldn't smile. - p.93 I thought this quote was important because it emphasized the strong feelings that Miranda has against her classmate Julia. I found it interesting that Miranda had these negative feelings after Julia had just helped her deal with Annemarie's seizure. Also, these feelings seem so hate-filled and I thought it was interesting to see such strong feelings coming from Miranda. To the general public she seems so passive and kind. "What do you mean, 'what would happen'? His nose started bleeding, that's what happened! And he almost threw up." "Besides that, besides the ordinary things." He tapped the toe of one shoe on the sidewalk. "It was dumb. Really, really dumb." "And?" "And what?" "And did anything happen? Besides the ordinary things?" He shook his head. "No-not that I could tell." - p.106 I chose this section of text because it made me think of how almost all actions have consequences beyond the "ordinary" consequences. Although we may not see those consequences unfold, they still exist and affect others in ways we may not ever know or understand. I also thought there was a connection from the earlier mentionings of a "veil" separating people from the big picture. Marcus couldn't see the big picture consequences of his actions. It was at that moment, standing next to her, that I figured out the truth. The truth was that Mom saw it too: the peeling paint, the cigarette burns on the stairs, everything. It soaked into me like water into sand, fast and heavy-making. But I still couldn't apologize for what I'd said. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I couldn't even smile at her. - p.120 To me, this section of text was important because it showed Miranda that she is potentially not alone in her embarassment of her home. I made a connection between this section and Marcelo in the Real World because in both books the children realize their parents aren't perfect, and that can be a major realization in a child's life. I thought it was also significant that Miranda still did not back down from her negative comments towards her mother. I still wonder what was holding Miranda back from showing her appreciation to her mother. What do you all think of these quotes? How did you interpret them?