How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph.Page)
Quote #1
There on his spine, a lump like that—it had to be invasive and deadly. Lately he'd been cloudy of thought and clumsy of gait, and it made perfect and terrible sense that there was something growing there, eating away at him, sapping him of vitality, squeezing away all acuity and purpose. (II.36.10)
Alan has a strange relationship with Señor Spinal Lump. On one hand, he's terrified that it's something that will take his life. On the other, he really, really hopes it will kill him. At the very least, it could have the decency to be the excuse for all of his inexcusable behavior. If he can blame all of his shortcomings on Lumpy, he won't have to spend time figuring out what he's doing with his life—and why he's turned out this way.
Quote #2
The man, who was drunk and maybe unhinged, too, was, like Alan, born into manufacturing and somewhere later got lost in worlds tangential to the making of things. He was soaking himself in gin and tonics and finished with it all. (II.61.13-14)
The "man" here is another lost businessman who shares an international flight with Alan. Like Alan, he finds himself with the short end of the stick after all the technological and economic changes to the business world. One thing is clear: both men find their Cosmic Purpose in Life hopelessly entangled with their professional success.
Quote #3
But no. He was more than that. Some days he was more than that. Some days he could encompass the world. Some days he could see for miles. Some days he climbed over the foothills of indifference to see the landscape of his life and future for what it was: mappable, traversable, achievable. (II.76.17)
Alan suffers some seriously manic highs and lows since his professional life tanked on him. In this moment, he's riding a wave and feels that he can regain all the splendor of his youth, when he had mad sales skills and lots of respect from his peers. But there's more to it. It was a time when Alan had direction and purpose in life—far from the bottomless free-fall that his life has become.