“I think they worried that my grandfather would infect me with some incurable dreaminess from which I’d never recover—that these fantasies were somehow inoculating me against more practical ambitions.”

The quote conveys the fears that hold Jacob back from trusting and understanding his grandfather early on in the story. These same fears of fantasy pervade many of the early chapters and hold Jacob back from accepting his grandfather’s stories and growing as a character.

“And I really did believe him—for a few years, at least—though mostly because I wanted to, like other kids my age wanted to believe in Santa Claus….We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing them becomes too high.” 

The quote conveys the fears that hold Jacob back from trusting and understanding his grandfather early on in the story. These same fears of fantasy pervade many of the early chapters and hold Jacob back from accepting his grandfather’s stories and growing as a character.

“Then, a few years later, when I was fifteen, an extraordinary and terrible thing happened, and there was only Before and After.” 

Before and After fully describe Jacob’s transformation in the story. Before his grandfather’s death, he is full of conflict and distrust. He feels ordinary. After his grandfather’s death, though still full of conflict and distrust, he becomes more open to what might have been true in his grandfather’s stories. Ultimately, Jacob realizes that he is extraordinary.