67 pages • 2 hours read
Taming 7
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Important Quotes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of rape, sexual violence, child abuse, child sexual abuse, death by suicide, self-harm, substance and alcohol use, substance dependency, sexual content, and cursing.
“There was a big brown one and a small white one. Hugh said that Gerard’s daddy, Joe, was in the brown one and his sister, Bethany, was in the little white one. Because they drowned last Saturday. Drowned was a new word for me, and it was hard to understand, but it still made me super sad.”
(Prologue, Page 3)
The Prologue introduces the motif of drowning. While Claire, as a five-year-old, struggles to understand the meaning of the word “drowning,” it builds the foundation for what she will struggle with throughout the rest of the text: Understanding how Gibsie is figuratively “drowning” from his trauma.
“My heartbeat grew sluggish in my chest, but I could still hear my pulse thundering in my ears.
No. Please. Stop him from saving me.
Because I would never be healed.
It’s your fault she’s dead.
I could feel his hands on my body.
Keep your eyes on the door.
Pressure.”
(Chapter 1, Page 17)
Gibsie’s first chapter introduces The Lasting Impact of Trauma that he continues to endure 10 years after his sister and father die. The passage’s structure—short, choppy lines interspersed with italicized and normal font—conveys the impact of the nightmare he is having, as his mind grapples with his trauma. Additionally, it foreshadows his second trauma of being sexually abused, which will not be revealed until later in the text. Lines like “I could feel his hands on my body” and “pressure” could apply to the feeling of drowning and being pulled from the lake, or to the feeling of Mark’s sexual abuse.
“And then I could smell her shampoo, the washing powder her mother always used on her clothes, the feel of her chest pressed to my back as she cradled my body against hers. Relief. It flooded my body with such force that it eradicated every ounce of adrenaline that had been thrashing around inside of me.”
(Chapter 2, Page 20)
Just after introducing Gibsie’s trauma, Walsh conveys the important role that Claire plays in helping Gibsie cope. The sense of comfort and relief that she gives him introduces The Importance of Love and Personal Connection, as Claire is vital to Gibsie’s healing.
