Mama Day

“Only the present has potential, sir.” 

This line, spoken by the exacting Mrs. Jackson at the Wallace P. Andrews Shelter for Boys, becomes somewhat of a personal motto for George and succinctly characterizes George’s pragmatic, rational focus on the present.

“The only miracle is life itself. And when it comes, it comes.” 

Miranda tells this to Bernice when the two argue over the viability of a new fertility drug, but the attitude of inevitability in the second sentence provides an interesting parallel to George’s logical, reason-based outlook on life. The sentiment illustrates how Miranda and George, despite being characters from very different backgrounds, share a concern with the rational: there is no sense worrying about things outside of our control. The quotation also illustrates Miranda’s stance on what is natural versus what is unnatural, and therefore what is safe to interfere with, and what is not.

“Home. You can move away from it, but you never leave it. Not as long as it holds something to be missed.” 

This quotation encapsulates one of the novel’s central arguments: people always retain their pasts, even if they try to escape them. Although many of the major characters of the novel undergo significant changes in their attitudes toward Willow Springs, the history of the place, as well as of the Day family line, remains a focal concern for them.