How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Now, I had to see the bridge. How many times would I be this high up and have a sight as spectacular as the Golden Gate Bridge right underneath me? (2.19)
Delphine's reaction to her flight cements her as a young gal, even if she is responsible for her sisters. Delphine is stoked. And yet a touch of maturity oozes in, too, as she considers this flight a rare opportunity.
Quote #2
When you're six, you picture your mother living on black and gray tar full of potholes, broken glass, skid marks, and blackened gum, all of that overrun by cars, buses, and trucks. […] When you're six, you wonder why your mother would rather live on the street, in a hole in the wall, and sleep on park benches next to winos than live with you. (4.3)
Of course now that she's matured to the ripe old age of eleven, Delphine knows better. The contrast here between what she thought back then (when she was six) and what she thinks now shows us just how much Delphine has been forced to grow up because of her mom leaving.
Quote #3
Vonetta and Fern raced down the hall, pushing to be first. Cecile yelled after them, but they were too excited to hear her. (4.25)
Again and again, Delphine characterizes her sisters as really young, telling us that they goof off and bicker all the time. While these are totally normal things that siblings do together when growing up, in commenting on her sisters' behavior, we sense that Delphine is somehow above it herself.