“What it begins with, I know finally, is the kernel of meanness in people's hearts. I don't know exactly how or why it gets inside us; that's one of the mysteries I haven't solved yet.”

This quote is prophetic insofar as it forecasts the tragic beating that will occur by the novel’s end. It is both foreboding and equivocal, because the quote does not claim to explain what the pronoun “it” of the first sentence refers to. Moreover, this quote showcases the humility of the narrator, Ruth Grey. Though she is a grown woman by the end of the novel, her approach to her own narration is cautious, and, with few exceptions, she does not claim to understand more than she does. She is among the most self-effacing and honest characters in the story, making her an especially compelling narrator and protagonist.

“We were the products of our limited vocabulary: we had no words for savory odors or the colors of the winter sky or the unexpected compulsion to sing. The language I had to speak to be understood is not the language of poetry or clear thinking. I only let on once to May that I had acquired other words for private use.”

This quote is Ruth’s imagined retort to her Aunt Sid’s questioning of why Ruth’s intelligence has gone unrecognized. This quote from Ruth includes a form of defense, explaining why she hasn’t made more of her life according to the strict definition of success. Essentially, Ruth attributes her lack of formal education to the limited experiences of her upbringing. This quote additionally demonstrates Ruth’s strong appreciation for the natural world, to the extent that she does not feel herself equipped to describe it with her words alone.