How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
The next week I bit back my tongue as we entered the store with the forbidden candies. When my mother finished her shopping, she quietly plucked a small bag of plums from the rack and put it on the counter with the rest of the items. (2)
Mom fires the opening salvo by teaching her daughter to not cry to get what she wants. Waverly later applies this principle to her chess games, helping her to win. Mom's manipulations start before Waverly's interest in chess does, but Waverly learns how to make good use of her mom's lessons.
Quote #2
My mother imparted her daily truths so she could help my older brothers and me rise above our circumstances. (3)
Here we're reminded that Mom's not acting the way she does because she's evil—she wants a better life for his kids and is trying to give them the tools to get it. Is she succeeding? Does she need to be so harsh? Over to you, Shmoopers.
Quote #3
One day, as she struggled to weave a hard-toothed comb through my disobedient hair, I had a sly thought. (9)
Her sly thought is to ask about Chinese torture, probably as a way of getting under her mother's skin in revenge for all that painful hair-combing. It's also a sign that Waverly can play the manipulation game in her own right. She knows what she's doing and she knows what her goal is.