I may not eat anyone, but transformations are not always violent or even physical.
-- Narrator (Departure)

Importance: At the start of the novel, May is on her way to see her childhood friend for the first time in years. Toting her suitcase named Grendel with her, May feels wary of what will happen in the following days. The suitcase is symbolic of May's isolation and loneliness. She wants to avoid being like the monster from Beowulf, but also knows that avoiding this fate will mean changing. This moment indicates that May's primary journey and transformation will be internal and emotional.

Without friendship, you become Grendel.
-- Narrator (The Last Whiskey Sour Party)

Importance: While at the neighbors' cocktail party, May notices that everything in their kitchen is printed with a quippy quotation about friendship. This discovery inspires her further reflections on isolation and connection. When she gets home, she returns to her copy of Beowulf, discovering that she has uncanny similarities...