Please choose one passage from this novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of you entries and comment on what you think about the passage.
She also knew, though, that Peter was not insane, not in the sense that he wasn’t in control of himself. He was in better control of himself than anyone she knew. Except perhaps herself. Peter could delay any desire as long as he wanted to; he could conceal any emotion. And so Valentine knew that he would never hurt her in a fit of rage. He would only do it if the advantages outweighed the risks. And they did not. In a way, she actually preferred Peter to other people because of this. He always, always acted out of intelligent self-interest. And so, to keep herself safe, all she had to do was make sure it was more in Peter’s interest to keep her alive than to have her dead. p.125
You may wonder why I would find this passage interesting and I must confess that I find it absolutely intriguing. This passage really gives a new depth to Peter’s character. You find that he isn’t just a hateful, warmongering genius, but in fact a real person with ambitions. Egotistical, yet he is willing to admit his faults. He uses other people like Valentine to refine his thoughts and ideas. He is indeed a genius, but he has this streak, this vein of needing power, and that is what fuels him, what drives him to success. So, why the reason I like this passage is because it the practicality of Peter and Valentine both. Valentine has to stay a step ahead of Peter; she has to make herself indispensable to him and his purposes.
I also admire Peter for the same reason Valentine prefers him to other people. I have a passion for expediency and although I do not admire Peter’s character or the role he plays in this book, I admire the fact that he can conceal his emotions, that he is in control of himself, and that he would only do things if the advantages outweighed the risks. The one thing I disdain is that everything he accomplishes and does is out of self-interest. I also admire Valentine because of how sensible she is about the whole situation. She has seen what Peter did to the squirrels and he has threatened to kill her, but she is smart enough to figure out a way to make herself vital to him. They both display high levels of maturity and intelligence and they need each other. Peter has the ideas and Valentine has the skills, and the way that they worked together was interesting. That shows that we need all kinds of people in our world to function. There is a necessity for evil people and good people and smart people and dumb people, its just part of our lives, but how we deal and interact with those people that we meet is the most important.
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