“And so the impossible happens as a result of whims that turn into obsessions. A priest is struck by the light in an unexpected valley, a king requires rainbow machines, on the one hand, and a belief in the magic of distant landscapes, on the other. A Canadian man dreams the stone that will be assembled and carved to expiate the sorrow of one country on the soil of another”
This quote illuminates the theme of obsession that is underlying throughout the novel. The priest obsesses over the idea of obtaining a bell for his church, Allward obsesses over the Vimy memorial, Eamon obsesses over the idea of flying, and the German King Ludwig fervently builds imaginative castles. All of their actions are driven by their obsessions. This quote also serves as an example of the connection between Father Gstir's quest to build a grand stone church in Shoneval and Allward's quest to build the Vimy memorial.
“Still, he kept his mind on the sky and convinced himself that when he had won the war in his aeroplane, his father would look on him with pride and Klara would love him again – better than before.”
This quote also depicts the theme of obsession by focusing on Eamon’s desire to fly that led him to sign up for the war. It also shows the inaccuracies young men believed about the war before actually seeing the ugly reality. Eamon is driven by his dream of flying an aeroplane, an ultimately unrealistic goal, and the honor he will receive upon his inevitable return home. This boyish dream is what propels him toward the war and his early death.
“This was the way it was going to be then, this road she was going to have to walk. She would always be thinking of him so that he would be beside her even when he wasn't there, making her joyous or miserable, but always, always controlling the colour of her days.”
This quote depicts the impact of the love Klara feels for Eamon. It is her first love and she feels so deeply for him that she believes her emotions will always be intertwined with him. Since she is so young and then does not allow herself to move on after he is lost at war, this remains true for a very long time until she is able to truly move forward.
“Later, as a mature adult, Klara would never swim, fearing the memory of this joy”
This quote depicts the strength of memory and the role it plays in the story. Klara is so affected by the memories of her short-lived time with Eamon that even years later she will not allow herself to remember joyful moments with him because of the pain she fears it will bring.
“Suddenly, she would think that she couldn’t call to mind the way he looked in the woodshed, for example, or the pantry, and she would pull him by the sleeve to the place in question and make him stand in its light or its shadow until she had taken the sight of him there permanently into her memory”
This quote also depicts the importance memory plays throughout the entire story. Klara knows the grief of losing someone she did not share a great deal of time with and that the memories were all she was left with and so she consciously makes an effort to create as many visual memories of her new love.
