Elephants can sense danger… Unfortunately, Jack did not have this talent. The day his life was turned completely upside down, he was caught unaware.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1 paragraph 1)

Importance: When the novel begins, two things are made immediately apparent. First, Jack has an obsession with elephants. Secondly, Jack is without his mother: she has abandoned him. While elephants may be able to sense danger, Jack is not an elephant. He is caught completely off-guard by his mother’s sudden depature.

Where was she? Why had she taken off when they already had more things on their list than they could possibly do?
-- Narrator (Chapter 2 paragraph 15)

Importance: At first, Jack is in denial. He cannot understand why his mother would take off. Abandonment is not the foremost fear on his mind, but his mother’s leaving is. He imagines his mother must be nearby or detained, and incorrectly believes that it would be impossible that his mother abandoned him given...