Evelyn thought about the house from Renard’s perspective…how extravagant it all might seem.
-- Narration (Winter 1944)

Importance: This piece of narration appears when Renard first visits Evelyn at her house. The large, extravagant home in which Evelyn's family lives reinforces the economic disparity between Evelyn's background and Renard's.

One day we’ll be able to walk in there.
-- Renard (Winter 1944)

Importance: Renard says this when he and Evelyn pass City Park, a public park in which only white people are allowed. Evelyn and Renard are then yelled at by a police officer for standing by the park. These moments emphasize the presence and power of Jim Crow laws in the characters lives.

Daddy remarked that Negroes expecting Roosevelt to address the violence against blacks were going to die waiting.
-- Narration (Winter 1944)

Importance: Evelyn's father makes this remark during the dinner to which Evelyn's family had invited Renard. This remark emphasizes on of the novel's overarching ides that racial...