How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"There." He points to the far end of the dock. A skiff is tied there. Its cushions are gone and its oarlocks are empty. "I went into the parlor after supper. To look at her." He is staring out at the lake. He closes his eyes. When he opens them again, his cheeks are wet.
"Oh, Weaver, don't," I whisper, touching his shoulder.
His hand finds mine. "I hate this place, Mattie," he says. "It kills everything." (8.23-25)
We need to put this in context. Even though this happens toward the beginning of the novel, Weaver, in chronological time, has experienced the loss of his home and his dream for college. So for Weaver, as for Mattie, Grace's death is incredibly symbolic of his own loss of childhood and innocence. Weaver is convinced that he's going to have to stay in Eagle Bay forever, and he can't stand the prospect.
Quote #2
"She wants to go, Mr. Gokey. Very badly," Miss Wilcox said.
"Well, I blame you for that, ma'am. You went and put ideas in her head. I haven't got the money to send her. And even if I did, why would I send my girl where she don't know anyone? Away from her home and her family, with nobody to look after her?" (17.furtive.34-35)
One of the greatest obstacles to social mobility is the lack of money (which remains as true today as it was during 1906), but Pa seems to be hiding behind this reality. Of much greater worry to him is the fact that he would be sending his oldest daughter into the unknown world, one where he fears he might lose her and she might lose herself. Fear of the unknown is a powerful motivator to stay put in society.
Quote #3
"This is stealing, Josie," I heard Mrs. Mclntyre say. "We're stealing Emmie Hubbard's mail."
"It's not stealing, Alma. It's helping. We're trying to help a neighbor, that's all," my aunt said.
"Arn Satterlee gave it to me right before I closed for lunch. I've got to put it into the outgoing mailbag by two o'clock or it won't get to Emmie today."
"You will, Alma, you will; it'll only take a minute..." (20.tottlish.7-10)
Aunt Josie is the quintessential overbearing, gossipy woman in society. In fact, she's committing a felony, and she's justifying it not because she cares about Emmie Hubbard but to satisfy her curiosity. This disregard for social boundaries and rules is hypocritical in many ways because Aunt Josie is one of the characters who has the strongest opinions about people moving up or down the social level (like Mattie going to college).