How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The familiar Noon Train whistle interrupted him. We stepped off the rail and moved a few feet away from the tracks. The conductor slowed the train to a crawl, waved, and gently dropped a large brown bag in front of us as he went by. We picked it up and looked inside. It was full of oranges, apples, and candy.
"See, it does come from California!" Roberto exclaimed. (1.39-40)
Now California is a land where bags of candy and fruit come flying off trains—so though they've had to battle some barbed wire fences and avoid guys with guns, California is looking pretty stinking amazing to Francisco and Roberto right here.
Quote #5
That cold, early morning, Papá parked the Carcachita, our old jalopy, at one end of the cotton field. He, Mamá, and Roberto, my older brother, climbed out and headed toward the other end, where the picking started. As usual, they left me alone in the car to take care of Trampita, my little brother, who was six months old. I hated being left by myself with him while they went off to pick cotton. (2.1)
This is a big change from all that money-sweeping and celebrity-spotting Francisco might've been expecting based on Fito's stories. Instead he's stuck in a car babysitting while his mom, dad, and big bro are off to pick cotton. We're getting the feeling that California is now associated with hard work and loneliness. And that's a big bummer.
Quote #6
We called it Tent City. Everybody called it Tent City, although it was neither a city nor a town. It was a farm worker labor camp owned by Sheehey Strawberry Farms.
Tent City had no address; it was simply known as rural Santa Maria. It was on Main Street, about ten miles east of the center of town. Half a mile east of it were hundreds of acres of strawberries cultivated by Japanese sharecroppers and harvested by people from the camp. Behind Tent City was dry wilderness, and a mile north of it was the city dump. Many of the residents in the camp were single men, most of whom, like us, had crossed the border illegally. There were a few single women and a few families, all Mexican. (4.1-2)
This version of Cali is looking a lot different from those candy-delivering trains earlier. Did you notice how the camp where Francisco and his family live doesn't have an official name? Or an address? This makes Tent City feel a little lost.