How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Way out at the end of a tiny little town was an old overgrown garden, and in the garden was an old house, and in the house lived Pippi Longstocking. She was nine years old, and she lived there all alone. (1.1)
Couldn't be clearer than this about the fact that Pippi's house is off the beaten path and she lives there alone. Sure Pippi seems pretty happy with her dwelling, but you can't get away from the fact that she's a little girl in a big house by herself. At twenty-nine, or even nineteen, that might be nice. But at nine? You tell us.
Quote #2
Her mother had died when Pippi was just a tiny baby and lay in a cradle and howled so that nobody could go anywhere near her. (1.2)
Two things: no mom and no comfort. It's bad enough that her mom died when she was a baby, but that second part? About her crying so loud nobody could get close to her? Not even her dad? That just breaks our hearts.
Quote #3
"Have you ever seen hair like hers? Red as fire! And such shoes," Bengt continued. "Can't I borrow one? I'd like to go out rowing and I haven't any boat." (2.56)
Red hair is rare, and lots of redheads have a hard road because of the way it makes them stand out. Pippi is no exception, at least in that it gets her teased and judged. She may be an exception when it comes to the way she deals with it, though.