She meant, he supposed, to give him the best of her. And so she had. But the best of her was not that child's Shirley Temple hairdo. It was her fierceness as she fought her way toward the camera with her chin set awry and her eyes bright slits of determination. He thanked her. He said he would keep it forever.
This quote comes when Muriel gives Macon a photo of her as a child. This gift comes fairly early in their relationship, signifying Muriel's eagerness to open up to Macon and show that she trusts him. By giving him a photo from her girlhood, she is expressing her desire to show her new partner this innocent side of herself, especially after a Christmas holiday where Macon has heard much from Mrs. Dugan about Muriel's more rebellious side. Despite the gesture, Macon has no illusions about Muriel's character, proven by his assessment of the photograph. Behind the childhood sweetness, he can also see her fierceness and her determination, and these endear her to him even more.
In some odd way, [Macon] was locked inside the standoffish self he’d assumed when he and she first met. He was frozen there…Somehow, his role had sunk all the way through to the heart.
Within this quote, the term "standoffish self" is meant to highlight a fundamental quality of Macon. The narrator illustrates how Macon presented a certain persona at the beginning of his partnership with Sarah which has gradually grown to become who he is. Now, he finds it difficult to show himself more authentically, as his chilly nature has become indistinguishable from his deeper self. The narrator does not place blame on the protagonist but rather makes it clear that Macon has simply struggled to evolve and show his true colors to Sarah. This quote embodies the complicated, emotional reality that Macon has fostered within all of his relationships—a reality which has prevented him from feeling truly able to communicate and relate with his most loved ones.
There’s something so what-do-you-call, so muffled about the way you experience things…You’re encased. You’re like something in a capsule. You’re a dried up kernel of a man that nothing really penetrates.
Here, Sarah describes Macon as impenetrable and likens him to a "dried up kernel" in order to illustrate the emotional desert that Macon has created within himself. For Macon, his coldness is convenient, as it provides a comfortable distance from other people. He has always been cautious of others, resisting the emotional intimacy that would break apart his rigid sense of self-control. Yet this frigidness will also inevitably destroy his sense of living and all of his relationships over time. It makes it extremely difficult for other people to connect with him, as seen in the way he refuses help from his neighbors after his son dies. It is also partly the reason that Sarah decides to leave him.
The Orioles were winning the second game of the World Series, but these people seemed to be staring at their own thoughts instead.
Macon has been spending time at his family's house while he recovering from his broken leg. He takes daily walks with his dog Edward around the neighborhood, which is a time where he reflects on the world around him, looking at the many different people who populate their street. While Macon is quite removed from his former social life, he seems to remain connected to people through his astute observations. Although he makes his judgment of these people at a distance, there is also the sense that Macon can relate to them, for he, too, is often totally immersed in his own thoughts rather than in whatever activity he is doing, whether that be working or cooking a meal.
Oh, he'd raged at her and hated her and entirely forgotten her, at different times. He'd had moments where he imagined he'd never cared for her to begin with; only went after her because everybody else had. But the fact was, she was his best friend...She was embedded in his life. It was much too late to root her out.
Macon is at dinner with Sarah months after their separation. When he tells Sarah about the incident with Muriel choking Edward and Sarah sympathizes with Edward, he instantly feels love towards her again. The love is actually a sort of familiarity, a longing for someone who "gets" him, which he has missed while living on his own. Their long history together has led to an affinity between them that is undeniable, despite Macon's self-protective attempts to convince himself it has all been an illusion.
Macon experienced a sudden twist in his chest. He felt there was something he needed to do, some kind of connection he wanted to make, and when she raised her face he bent and kissed her chapped, harsh lips even though that wasn't the connection he'd intended.
This quote describes thr first romantic encounter between Macon and Muriel. Macon impulsively decides to kiss Muriel during one of their dog training session, after she goes on one of her typical tangents. Macon is suddenly overcome with some sort of feeling towards Muriel that he can't place. He can acknowledge that the feeling isn't necessarily romantic, yet Macon, in his social cluelessness, doesn't know how else to regard a sense of connection to another, momentarily interpreting it as sexual attraction even though he later realizes this was not his intention. This interaction is indicative of the way Macon is often paralyzed in navigating intimacy with other people.
"I don't understand you," Rose told Macon. "First you say yes, you'll be here all afternoon, and then you say you won't. How can I plan when you're so disorganized?"
Rose says this to her brother as Macon is starting to take his relationship with Muriel more seriously, spending more time with her instead of with his family. There is a sort of policy between the Leary siblings to never delve into personal matters too much, and for this reason, Rose does not directly pry into Macon's life. Yet here we see how she is subtly questioning Macon about his new schedule with Muriel without plainly speaking about it. Rose exemplifies here the tendency of the Learys to prioritize organization above all else, with a dislike for any wrenches thrown into the plans that structure their days.
And if he pictured Ethan still part of that flow—in some other place, however unreachable—he believed he might be able to bear it after all.
At the end of the novel, Macon, after deciding to leave Sarah, imagines that Ethan is still aging in whatever realm his soul has passed on to—that he is still part of the flow of time. This notion comforts Macon, who has been grappling throughout the story with the sudden tragedy of losing a son, where it seems that he was robbed of a major aspect of his life. To believe that Ethan lives on in some parallel dimension brings Macon a sense of relief and the feeling that he, too, can move on with his life instead of being stuck in grief perpetually. And with that, he feels more justified now in pursuing a relationship with Muriel instead of staying with Sarah, who belongs more in Macon's past than his future.
"All I'm saying," Muriel told him, "is take care what you promise my son. Don't go making him promises you don't intend to keep."
Here, Muriel is finally confronting Macon about his ambivalence towards their relationship. This moment somewhat shocks Macon, who had thought he could keep his distance from Muriel, enjoying the benefits of their coupling without having to marry her or commit to her in a more serious way. Muriel underscores that Macon's dishonesty about his true feelings is not only unfair to her, but also to her son, Alexander, who needs a steady father figure rather than a semi-absent one. This conversation foreshadows their later breakup, which precipitates when Macon realizes he is not yet ready to marry again.
Lord, if he wasn't careful he could end up feeling sorry for the whole human race.
Macon is at a dinner party and one young man there reminds him of Dominick Saddler, Muriel's neighbor who has recently died in a car crash. Noting this, Macon is overcome with emotion. He thinks of how, after his grandfather's death, he also became teary at the sight of any old person. This quote reveals that Macon, despite his hard exterior, is actually quite sensitive and liable to empathizing with others—something he sees as dangerous, the result of not being careful.
