How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph) and (Volume.Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"But the fault is mine --" began Glinda.
"You would do me more good if you hushed, sweet Galinda, my duck," said Ama Clutch gently, and patted Glinda's hand. (2.3.5.33-34)
Notice the use of both "Glinda" and "Galinda" here. After Ama Clutch dies, no one seems to ever call Glinda by her birth name again, so this is the last instance where Glinda is a bit like two people. Ama Clutch also introduces one of the book's major themes: the idea that asking for forgiveness can sometimes be very selfish. We see this theme crop up a lot once Sarima arrives in the story.
Quote #2
Life has been very hard. If you can hear me when I cannot hear myself ...you could help me do no harm in this world. That's all I want – to do no harm. (4.1.3.40)
Elphaba is unusually open and vulnerable here. We can also see how her experience with Fiyero, and her ensuing guilt, dominated her adult life. Elphaba is almost scared of her own shadow here.
Quote #3
He covered her with a sense of holiness, and it was more than her undergarments that would drop away from her when they tumbled panting onto the bedclothes. She would lose her sense of shame. (1.7.29)
Melena's affair with Turtle Heart is, interestingly, the antithesis of guilt. She almost feels a sense of pride about the whole thing, and their relationship is not what you'd necessarily expect from ex-party girl Melena. There are a lot of parallels between mother and daughter in this book, and it's fitting that Elphaba herself has an affair (with a married man) that's similar to the type of loving and beautiful relationship that Melena had with Turtle Heart.