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Memory and the Past Quotes in The Danish Girl

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Something began to run through Einar's head, and it made him think of a fox chasing a fieldmouse: the thin red nose of the fox digging for the mouse through the folds of a pulse field. (1.32)

This is a nice vivid image of nature describing Einar's thoughts. But what's a pulse field? It's a field of beans which makes the metaphor even richer. Each memory is like a little bean.

Quote #2

Greta would mention Lili to a friend, even to Anna, and Einar's face would pinch up, as if he had no idea who Lili was. (2.76)

Einar compartmentalizes his identity as Lili in his mind like a person might organize his or her closet: Dresses in one compartment, pants in another. Why does his mind work this way?

Quote #3

She had given them to Greta, who hated amber, who gave them to Einar; and Einar—he recalled—gave them to a little girl named Lili. (13.18)

This is a subtle example of Einar's compartmentalization and disassociation. In his memories, it's like he is looking at himself in the third person, instead of through his own eyes.