Leo thinks to himself that "it was Kennedy who said we are tied to the ocean – that when we return to it ... we are returning to the place from whence we came." Do you agree? How does this play out in the book?

Leo thinks to himself that "it was Kennedy who said we are tied to the ocean – that when we return to it, for sport or leisure or some such, we are returning to the place from whence we came." How do you think this plays out in the book? Do you agree with the statement?

Wow - what a great question - great food for thought! Can the ocean here in the novel be metaphoric for the sac within our mother's body where we all begin our lives?
I'm reading it that way, and yes - I agree. For most of us I am betting that any time we are around water, we find ourselves to be more at peace than usual. Even a bathtub can provide that experience. In the novel, Janice returned to the ocean to try to find peace, and Emma throughout the novel returned to the ocean shore to hunt for the crab and find her calm center. Even Leo, at the very end of the novel, leaves little Ruby with Jill and goes off to help find Janice. Ironically, it is near the ocean that they all learn the missing pieces to the puzzle that helps them find the internal peace they all seek.

I believe some of us feel the pull of the ocean far more than others. Even if one does look at this as a metaphor for our incubation in the womb. I’m not sure the completely landlocked really consider the peace and Beaty of the sites and sounds of the waves. I’ve been pulled towards water since childhood. My happiest year was one where I visited the beach everyday. I do believe this plays out particularly for Emma and Janice as they both found calm, a sense of wonder and safety within view of the ocean.