How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"It's just that it's fearsome for a man to have a woman start thinking right in front of him. It always leads to trouble." (17.39)
Men being scared of independent women is an ongoing motif in the book. It almost makes Jake Spoon different, in that he doesn't care that Lorie does all the work… except for the fact that he still wants it to look like he's doing the work, which makes him both selfish and dishonest.
Quote #5
The most surprising thing was that Lorena was wearing pants. So far as [Bolivar] could remember, he had never seen a woman in pants, and he considered himself a man of experience. (22.1)
Here is a good bit of context for the time period. Lorie is seen as different from other women just because she wears pants. Um, how else is she supposed to ride a horse?
Quote #6
"Jake can only be controlled up to a point, and Lorie's a woman. She can't be controlled at all." (22.53)
It's difficult to interpret exactly what Gus means here. Is Lorie's uncontrollable nature something he admires? And if women are universally uncontrollable, why do men still try to control them as if they're cattle?