How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
In the outside world I thought of myself as a grown man, independent of my family, but in my own home I was merely a twelve-year-old boy who had been frightened by my father's absence. (3.7)
Even Vahan recognizes that there's a difference between who he sees himself as in his mind versus in reality. Sure he likes to think of himself as tough as nails, but in reality, he's just a sheltered kid.
Quote #2
"You have your whole life to show a man who you are," my grandmother once told her with a smile. "Let him dream for a while." (4.6)
When his grandma says this, Vahan doesn't really get it—he knows how to dream, but he's had nothing to fear or worry about. Pretty soon though, his dreams become his identity. He'd rather live in the world he imagines in his head than the real nightmare he's in.
Quote #3
Secretly, I had always thought that I was one of them, that given the opportunity I, too, could face death with a wink or a shrug or a smile. And now I knew that I was not brave, that my fear of death was so strong that I could not control my own body. (5.9)
Vahan wants to be like the soldiers and adventurers he's read about, but the truth is that he doesn't live in the world of fiction where heroes are easy to create. In the real world, Vahan is still figuring out who he is: brave, scared, or a little bit of both.