That Was Then, This Is Now: Quotes

Do you ever get the feeling that the whole thing is changin? Like somethin’ is coming to an end because somethin’ else is beginning? (Chapter 4)

Analysis

“I don’t worry. I’m never scared of nothing, and I never will be,” Mark said, “as long as I’m a kid.”

“You can get away with anything,” I said, because that phrase came through my head whenever I really thought about Mark.

“Yeah, I can.” He was quiet. “You used to be able to.”

I looked at him, and suddenly it was like seeing someone across a deep pit, someone you couldn’t ever reach. It was like the car had widened into the Gulf of Mexico and I was seeing Mark through a telescope. “What’s happening?” I said, half out loud, but Mark was asleep. (Chapter 7)

Analysis

Bryon and Mark have this conversation in the car right after M&M runs away. Bryon is worried as M&M is “just a kid” but Mark says that even they themselves are kids and nothing bad could happen to them if they remain kids. Suddenly, Bryon realizes that since Charlie’s death he has grown more mature, but Mark is stuck in his old ways. He is in denial about the fact that they are growing up and the world is changing and like adults they would soon need to face the consequences of their actions. Mark is not bothered. He inhabits a blissful space. Bryon can no longer relate to him and the gap between them is as huge as the Gulf of Mexico. Even though Mark is right next to him, he seems to be somewhere far away. Like a mature person, Bryon tries to make sense of what he is feeling by saying “What’s happening?” but Mark is fast asleep, just like a child.

I could remember a time when my only worry had been paying Charlie the three bucks I owed him. Things used to be simple and now they weren’t. (Chapter 10)

Analysis

These words are spoken by Bryon in the tenth chapter after he returns home once he and Cathy have admitted M&M in the hospital. Bryon is mentally exhausted with the effort of locating him and then seeing M&M in that condition. We have seen his tender side when Mark had been attacked and later when Charlie died. He has become mature and he felt worried about Cathy and M&M. As he grows up and faces complex situations, he realizes that he has let his carefree childhood behind and now life is about taking responsibility. He realizes that every action has consequences that an individual must face. Things are no longer “simple.” Through his words, Hinton shows how Bryon is slowly coming to terms with what it means to be an adult.