How we cite our quotes: (Poem.Paragraph)
Quote #10
"The Japanese," the medicine man went on, [ . . . ] "It isn't surprising you saw him with them. You saw who they were. Thirty thousand years ago they were not strangers. You saw what the evil had done: you saw the witchery ranging as wide as this world." (XIII.47)
Some critics make the argument that the connection between Native Americans and Japanese in this novel is based on a physical resemblance that they share. Whether that's true or not, Betonie's observation that "thirty thousand years ago [the Japanese] were not strangers" suggests a shared heritage between the two groups.
Quote #11
She reached into her purse for the little pink compact and looked in the mirror. Her hair was cut short and was tightly curled. It needed to be washed, but at least it wasn't long or straight. (XX.67)
Both Helen Jean and Tayo's mother, Laura, cut their hair in an attempt to fit in in white society. Since Native American women traditionally wore their hair long and straight, a short hairstyle is a symbol of women's rejection of their traditional culture.
Quote #12
He knew then he had learned "The Lie" by heart—"The Lie" which they had wanted him to learn: only brown-skinned people were thieves; white people didn't steal, because they always had the money to buy whatever they wanted. (XXIV.24)
This "lie" embodies everything Tayo (and the novel) seeks to contradict. With regard to race, you could say that the novel's message is exactly the opposite of "The Lie"—white people are the thieves who have stolen the land, yet they've convinced everyone that only brown-skinned people are criminals.