Story of a Girl Poverty Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"They asked people to volunteer for some days off." She started straightening up my room, picking up laundry and stacking CD cases. "Don't ever work in retail." (3.4)

Obviously Deanna's mom was coerced into "volunteering" to give up shifts she needed to work, possibly in the name of keeping her job. Hmm, could there be a parallel here with something Deanna was coerced into giving up?

Quote #5

"My mother would roll in her grave if she knew I work on Sundays while you all stay home and eat Pop-Tarts, not a one of us in church." (3.18)

This is just one example of the compromises poverty forces people to make. Healthful food, belief systems—all of these things can fall away when faced with the need to survive. It's a sacrifice sort of like giving up your virginity so someone will give you the attention you need to survive emotionally.

Quote #6

I could see it all like a movie on a screen: her, alone with Dad for the rest of their lives, the house staying exactly the same (down to the last detail), shabby and worn-out, all the stains and holes and leaks showing, green shag carpet forever. (3.54)

Deanna comes from a long line of hopeless folks. Why should she expect better from her life than what her mother got? She's seriously lacking role models, our Deanna.