How we cite our quotes: ("Abbreviated chapter name," page)
Quote #1
"Her father had been a fastidious man, impeccable, close-shaven, with razor-sharp creases pressed into his trousers. He took pride in never walking barefoot, even in his own home, and shuffled around in highly polished leather slippers to protect himself from microbios." ("Going South," 21)
We admit that the Jorge's personal phobia of germs borders on the pathological, but it certainly does make him easy to pick out in an interesting cast of characters. Lourdes recalls this personality quirk to express her gratitude that her father, a stickler for cleanliness, at least had a clean shave when he died.
Quote #2
"Another woman, an elderly mulatta, claimed that her hair was falling out from the menacing stare the baby gave her. Lourdes fired her after she found Pilar in her bassinet smeared with chicken blood and covered with bay leaves. 'The child is bewitched,' the frightened nanny explained. 'I was trying to cleanse her spirit.'" ("Going South," 24)
The mythology of Pilar's childhood becomes an important influence on how she and others view her character. Pilar uses it as a way to talk about her rebelliousness, her inability to fit into her mother's life and her desire for all things Cuba. Lourdes points back to these moments to find the roots of her conflict with her daughter, even though she defended her against the superstitions of the Cuban nannies.
Quote #3
"Celia has removed her drop pearl earrings only nine times, to clean them. No one ever remembers her without them." ("Palmas Street," 38)
Celia identifies herself by her passions: for El Líder and her long absent lover Gustavo. The pearl earrings become a sign for Celia herself because she is never parted from them. She cannot see herself without them and Pilar always thinks of her grandmother in terms of those earrings. More curious then, that she chooses to release them to the sea at the end of the book.