How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[A] thought slipped quietly into my head, then grew noisy: I need to learn English. What if I want—or need—to leave Navajo land someday? Knowledge of English would be crucial. (4.15)
As a young kid, Chester doesn't want to go to school. But he's smart enough to realize that English is important, and he'll only learn it if he goes to school. This quotation foreshadows Chester's work as a code talker. His knowledge of English—and Navajo, of course—will come in handy when he joins the Marines later.
Quote #2
I'd been caught speaking Navajo three days before. The Pima matron brushed my teeth with brown Fels-Naptha soap. I still couldn't taste food, only the acrid, bitter taste of the lye soap. (4.87)
Chester's punishment for speaking in Navajo at school is a reflection of the way that his schooling isn't just aimed at educating him. It's aimed at wiping out his Navajo culture.
Quote #3
The Marines talked to me, interviewing me in English about my family life and my education […] There were no interviews in Navajo. Apparently the Marines assumed we all spoke Navajo. (9.7)
Even though Chester has to suffer a lot in order to learn English at school, he reaps the rewards later when he can prove to the Marine recruiters that his grasp of English is just as strong as his grasp of Navajo. He'll need both languages for his work as a code talker.