How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"I thought they were smart," Dicey insisted. "Like you."
He shook his head. "Not like me," he said. "I thought they might be, but they aren’t." (2.95-96)
James has a gift—his intelligence—but it's more of a curse than a blessing. You'd think being smart would be an asset, but when you're that young, and when kids are that cruel, smarts make you stand out, and not in a good way. What's truly sad here, though, is James's loss of hope. He had hoped that for once he'd fit in with the other kid geniuses, but he's still a foot smarter than the whole lot of 'em.
Quote #5
"Take it easy, girl," Gram said. Her eyes were laughing at Dicey. "The kind of lessons he was talking about were special lessons […] Lessons for someone who is talented." (2.107-109)
Check out Dicey over there with her fists balled up, ready to fight. We’re glad she has Gram to advocate for Maybeth’s needs in a slightly less butt-kicking way.
Quote #6
"Because I never learned how to read, not properly. I can’t even read a newspaper. You didn’t know that, did you. You didn’t know what a stupid old woman you were working for." (3.58)
Millie’s view of herself is pretty heartbreaking. The way we see ourselves and the way others see us is often very, very different, and it usually works in our favor. But in her case, not so much.