Wars And Needs Seen Through The Lens Of Loyalty Quotes

The Conflict Of Wants And Needs Seen Through The Lens Of Loyalty

Charles Caleb Colton once said, “We are sure to be losers when we quarrel with ourselves; it is a civil war, and in all such contentions, triumphs are defeats.” In his quote, the use of an oxymoron and the metaphor, “civil war,” outline the concept that when humans encounter an inner conflict, they must lose some part of themselves in order to achieve something as well. Just as in a real civil war, where two sides of a single nation are pitted against each other, even though one side of the conflict may triumph, the body as a whole is still losing some other part of it. In war, there are casualties and sacrifices from both ends that must inevitably be made no matter what is gained.

This time, however, back towards the people he truly values, therefore meaning that his wishes must be sacrificed. Through this, the continuity of disconnect between one’s wants and others’ needs exists. For instance, in Fatima and Amat’s discussion, “he tries to press the business card into her hand but she refuses,” and his mother says, “You just need to be better at choosing the company you keep.” In this quote, Fatima rejects her son’s interpretation that she requires money and financial stability. Symbolized by her refusal of the Erdahl business card which offers an escape from the Hollows, she explains how she does not require any of that. Rather, what Fatima truly needs from her son, is to “choose better company,” referring to Amat's poor choice in siding with the hockey team over those desperately seeking help such as Maya or Zacharias. Fatima implies that these actions reflect how her son is no better than them in staying silent. That in order for Amat to stay a morally good person and align with her true values, he must realize the impact that his loyalty has on others. For the first time in the novel, this becomes clear to Amat through the author’s use of epiphany. Utilizing epiphany allows Amat to understand Fatima’s true needs and thereby causes him to alter his idea of loyalty to match them. The inner civil war, although engraved scars from the sacrifices he made, are also what enable Amat to learn from his past experiences. Consequently, this leads Amat to turn away from his dedication to the team, while simultaneously restoring Zacharias’ call for friendship. This idea is highlighted further when Amat, “casts a last glance inside the rink.” He does this because “he knows he’s put himself on the losing side,” and that “maybe he’ll never get to play [hockey] again.” Amat understands that by siding with Maya and showing morality as a person, he is also sacrificing a