How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The truth was, she didn't feel worthy of being someone's squire. She was a girl, and she was a liar. (6.274)
Being a girl in a man's world is tough. Having to lie about her gender in order to even have a chance at proving herself and achieving her goals is a bit of a mind-trip for Alanna: she feels bad enough for being a girl, and then she feels even worse for lying about it. Yikes. Someone get this girl some therapy, stat.
Quote #2
She lay down after he left. Tears forced themselves from her eyes. This wouldn't have happened to a real boy. (3.85)
We don't mean to interrupt Alanna's little pity party, but news flash: "real" boys get beat up too. Alanna is just insecure about the fact that she has to hide part of her identity from her peers; it makes her feel like she's cheating. As she finds out in the book, though, being able to dish it out and take isn't necessarily related to her gender.
Quote #3
Suddenly she froze before her long mirror. Watching the glass closely, she bounced up and down. Her chest moved. It wasn't much, but she had definitely jiggled. (5.3-4)
Doh. There goes that stupid biology, doing its thing! Alanna's boy disguise requires her to, well, not have breasts, so she has to start binding her chest in order to continue passing as a dude. Too bad they don't have sports bras in Tortall.