How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #7
At the back of the house she dug in the can pile and found two old and battered aluminum sauce pans. […]
His manner changed. He became professional. "Good as new I can fix them." (78-79)
Compare this change in behavior on the part of the tinker with the earlier change he undergoes as he lets his laughter die. Once again, we're not quite sure where Elisa stands with him. Is their encounter just business as usual for him? Are his emotions genuine? Or is the tinker just using them to manipulate Elisa?
Quote #8
And then she scrubbed herself with a little block of pumice, legs and thighs, loins and chest and arms, until her skin was scratched and red. When she had dried herself she stood in front of a mirror in her bedroom and looked at her body. She tightened her stomach and threw out her chest. She turned and looked over her shoulder at her back. (93)
Just after this moment, Elisa undergoes the radical physical transformation from messy, dirt-covered gardener, to a prim and pretty woman. But Shmoop is more interested in the effect of this moment, when she chooses to pause and stare at herself in the mirror? What do you imagine she's thinking and feeling as she scrubs herself, and then regards herself in the mirror?
Quote #9
"Why—why, Elisa. You look so nice!"
[…]
Henry blundered on. "I don't know. I mean you look different, strong and happy." (99-101)
Maybe Henry's positive reaction means that the physical change Elisa has undergone after bathing and dressing was for the better. On the other hand, it could be that Henry is talking more about Elisa's demeanor than her physical appearance.