How we cite our quotes:
Quote #7
Getting rid of a b**** is simple, for b****es are dispensable. But getting rid of a wife? (2.17.29)
Really, Truman? What exactly is the difference between a "b****" and a "wife"? Yes, we understand the obvious, but both are living, breathing human beings with their own wants, dreams, and desires. No woman is dispensable.
Quote #8
They did not even see her as a human being but as some kind of large, mysterious doll. A thing of movies and television, of billboards and car and soap commercial. (2.17.39)
In Lynne's case, her womanhood is complicated and perhaps amplified by her whiteness. As we've seen above, it's common for women of all races to be objectified, but this effect is exponentially greater in Lynne's case. Again, we see the echoes of pop culture in the relationships between men and women—to Tommy, a white woman like Lynne seems straight out of the movies.
Quote #9
Her shy, thin frame, her relative inarticulateness, [...] her brown strength that he imagined would not mind being a resource for someone else… (2.18.7)
On the other side of the fence, black women like Meridian are objectified in a different way. Instead of being feared, Meridian is looked down upon by men and expected to sacrifice herself for their sake. The echoes of slavery in this quote make it all the more upsetting.