How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
I finished my drink. "You people dumped all this merde on us," I said, sullenly, "and now you say we're barbaric because we stink." (1.2.114)
For the record, merde means "crap," essentially Exactly what "merde" might David be referring to? Why does he become sullen while Giovanni is able to keep his good humor throughout the conversation?
Quote #5
I ached abruptly, intolerably, with a longing to go home; not to that hotel, in one of the alleys of Paris, where the concierge barred the way with my unpaid bill; but home, home across the ocean, to things and people I knew and understood; to those things, those places, those people which I would always helplessly, and in whatever bitterness of spirit, love above all else. (1.3.128)
David has these thoughts as he is approaching Les Halles with Giovanni, Guillaume, and Jacques. Why would he be longing to go home at this exact moment? To what extent does his understanding relate to the cultural difference between France and America?
Quote #6
"If your countrymen think that privacy is a crime, so much the worse for your country." (2.1.46)
What does Giovanni mean that Americans think "privacy is a crime"? Is this an accurate characterization of American policies toward gay people in the 1950s? Is something more going on than two men exercising their right to privacy? If so, what?