Question 1:
I believe that the one person that remains most vivid while we are reading through the book is Peter's grandmother. I believe this because she helped him form his identity through the various activities they used to and through the stories she used to tell. I think another memory that remains vivid, at least in my mind, is his Armenian family sitting around the table on Sunday nights. I believe that this gave Peter stability--knowing, even though his family is not the type of family he dreams of, this is his family.
Question 2:
I think the first few sections of the book are structured wonderfully, because they give us an idea of how each of these three individuals played a huge role in his life. I believe he started with hi grandmother because she was most influential and he knew her best. I think he ended with his father because, for the beginning of his life, Peter's father was distant and although he remained distant, as Peter got older, his dad because influential in many different ways.
Question 3:
In the quote, I think Greene is saying that in each memory of the past, we can learn something and apply it to our futures. I really believe there are two different memories that "let the future in" for Peter. The first is baking with his grandma because he did it very often and even though he felt embarrassed to do it, it was fun for him and he enjoyed it. The second memory that helped shape Peter's future was probably the sunday night dinner table. I believe that these sunday night dinners helped shape Peter into who he is today because, as I said before, it gave him a sense of stability and knowing that this is what family looks like--not always what we would hope for but the best we could ever wish for.
