The want never seemed to go away.
-- Narrator/Lurie (Pages 1 - 80)

Importance: Lurie says this after Hobb dies. Feeling chased by Hobb's spirit, Lurie believes he carries Hobb's unrequited desires with him. Hobb's want stirs much of Lurie's wandering and adventure, compelling him to live forever on the run. Lurie's belief that desire is perpetual and unquenchable forms a fundamental portion of the novel's thematic explorations. In a world where the landscape seems a living and breathing entity, the desires of the individual's heart are as untamed as his environment, one feeding the movement and explorations of the other.

What we see with our hearts is often far truer than what we see with our eyes.
-- Nora (Pages 1 - 80)

Importance: Nora says this to Toby when she tries convincing him the beast he claims to have seen on the property is not real. Yet despite Nora's disbelief in the supernatural, she maintains communication with her deceased daughter's ghost. Her...