The operation has not been successful and my wife will die.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: In the opening chapter of the novel, Krug is standing at a hospital window, observing the world outside. These observations, though saturated with vivid imagery and detail, lack exact context. This context eventually abruptly emerges in the form of the above line. This moment jarringly interjects Krug's trying circumstances into the descriptive space of his observations, therefore enacting the cutting and intrusive nature of death. The moment speaks to Krug's state of mind, while also introducing the author's thematic interests in loss and death.

The square root of I is I.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: After Krug's wife dies, and he begins walking towards home, he is overcome by grief, and begins to cry. Though the tears are initially relieving, this relief does not last long, and Krug begins berating himself for allowing his emotional self to consume his logical mind. The division...