How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
On the bus she decided it must have something to do with the fact that the pamphlets were put together by men, who in her opinion liked the looks of a mother and baby better than a pregnant woman. She was fairly sure about this. On the bus, for instance, several men would stand up to offer her a seat, but they wouldn't quite look at her. The high school boys didn't make remarks under their breath or try to rub up against her when the bus made sudden stops and turns. (2.17)
Lou Ann's pregnancy throws her everyday experiences of sexism and harassment into sharp relief. Being able to "relax this way on a crowded bus" without fear of being harassed and assaulted is a whole new experience for her—one that makes her feel like "it would not be so bad to go through your life as a pregnant lady" (1.17). Okay Lou Ann, you go ahead and live a few years with morning sickness every day and cravings for olives with chocolate sauce and let us know how it goes.
Quote #5
Lee Sing shook her head as she rang the cash register, and muttered something that sounded to Lou Ann like "New Year pig."
"Beg your pardon?" Lou Ann was a little afraid of Lee Sing, who often said peculiar things like this.
"Feeding a girl is like feeding the neighbor's New Year pig. All that work. In the end, it goes to some other family." (2.25-27)
What does Lee Sing mean when she says that raising a daughter is a form of work that only ever benefits "some other family"? Is this true for Ivy Logan and Lou Ann? What about Alice Greer and Taylor? What about Ms. Sing and Lee Sing herself? Is it less weird to compare girls to pigs when Taylor already named her foster daughter after a turtle?
Quote #6
I never could figure out why men thought they could impress a woman by making the world out to be such a big dangerous deal. I mean, we've got to live in the exact same world every damn day of the week, don't we? (3.22)
In Taylor's experience, no real purpose is served by men making women feel scared of the world. What conventional gender roles does that sort of fear help to maintain?