Quote 4
But she didn't get to finish her sentence, because another voice cut in. "No, mister, you surely don't want to make trouble. Best be on your way before his pa shows up. Or his brothers. He's got five. And each one of 'em's meaner than the next."
It was Royal. He was standing on the platform, arms crossed over his chest. He stood tall. His shoulders were broad under his shirt, his arms were thick and powerful. (14.monochromatic.76-77)
This is what makes race so complex in the novel: Royal, whom we know is a pretty insensitive, selfish jerk, stands up for Weaver and most likely prevents the situation from worsening. But why does he do it? Is he trying to get Mattie to think better of him, or is it because he's got a more complex view of race than we assume he would?
Quote 5
He shook his head. "Words and stories," he said, turning onto the Uncas Road. "I don't know what you see in them. Waste of time, if you ask me."
"I didn't ask you."
Royal didn't hear me or he didn't care if he did. He just kept right on talking. "A man's got to know how to read and write, of course, to get along in the world and all, but beyond that, words are just words. They're not very exciting. Not like fishing or hunting." (7.unman.52-54)
Royal's acting like a mouthpiece for how society as a whole and men in particular view the importance—or lack of importance—of language. Consider his actions: Mattie says something pretty rude, but he's not listening. And consider how wrong he is: it's words that spark the racist events in the novel, and the lack of the right words that cause Mattie to break off their engagement. Look who's a waste of time now, Royal.
Quote 6
"None of Emmie's brats is any kin to me."
"He can't help how he got here; he's only a baby," I said softly.
He looked at me like I was Judas himself. Then he said, "What if it was your pa, Mattie? Taking the first milk of the year over to Emmie's when you and your sisters hadn't yet tasted any? Lying to your ma, leaving her standing in the barn crying? You think you'd give a damn what happened to the Hubbards then?" His voice had turned husky. I saw that it cost him to say these things. "My ma… she can't leave the house some days, she's that ashamed. Them books of yours tell you how that feels? You keep reading, maybe you'll find out." And then he walked off and left me standing by myself. (40.ideal.27-29)
Royal's experience with his own family kind of forces us to feel more empathy for him than we usually do. While we think he's cruel for wanting to kick the Hubbards off their land, it's much harder to hate him for it when it comes from a place of wanting to protect his family.
It's clear that Frank Loomis's constant infidelities have caused heartbreak and divisions in the Loomis family. Plus, there are all sorts of power struggles tangled up in the situation. Think of who has more power: Frank Loomis, wealthy male farmer, or Emmie Hubbard, poor widow. So family is tied up with pride and shame as well as power too.