Quotations to Make Note Of:
"He seemed to know about about influenza and said there was nothing to worry about if the fever did not go about one hundred and four degrees."
"I know they do. At school in France the boys told me that you can't live with fourty-four degrees. I've got a hundred and two."
"But his gaze at the foot of the bed relaxed slowly. The hold over himself relaxed too, finally, and the next day it was very slack and he cried easily at the little things that were of no importance."
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-This quote is important to the story because although the boy doesn't hear it, the doctor clearly says that the boy was not in any danger unless his fever rose above one hundred and four degrees. This leaves the reader with the knowledge that the boy is not going to die and adds to his or her surprise he or she learns that the boy called Schatz has thought, all along, that he was a goner.
-When the boy's father comes to check on him, he learns of the boy's confusion. The reader also learns what has actually been causing the boy's unrest. He thought he was going to die (refer to Conflict and Resolution).
-This is the concluding line to the story and it finally shows how this illness has affected the boy. It had him so wrapped up in his anxiety about death that once he learned that he wasn't doomed, his emotions became heightened. At first, he is washed over with a wave of relief and then he begins to appreciate the things he thought he would no longer get to experience.
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