How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #7
"[…] you guys wasn't gettin paid to leave the dogs baby-sit the sheep while you stemmed the rose." (71)
Interesting turn of a phrase from Joe, right? He's suggestive without being explicit. He also doesn't seem surprised, so we might guess that Joe has seen this kind of thing before from other people.
Quote #8
"There was these two old guys ranched together down home, Earl and Rich—Dad would pass a remark when he seen them. They was a joke even though they was pretty tough old birds." (74)
The story of Earl and Rich tells Jack and Ennis that their love isn't entirely unprecedented. While that might seem like heartening knowledge that would give them hope that their relationship can work, the way society treated Earl and Rich also serves as a warning.
Quote #9
No doubt about it, she was polite but the little voice was cold as snow. (133)
Lureen knows, like a lot of people. And since she's never met Ennis, it implies that Jack's been stemming the rose with more than just Ennis over the years. That's a clever way of giving us that fact without coming right out and saying it, and that suggestive, unclear language is a hallmark of Jack and Ennis's relationship, which can never be explicit and out in the open.