How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"To think," she said, "you might be out in this storm, shivering in a shed or lying in the cold sand under a boat. But no; you are sitting in a good chair, drinking good wine, in the company of a lady who is your friend." (11.28)
Tia Ignacia has the hots for Big Joe, and he doesn't even seem to notice. Here, she's trying to show him what she wants, and what she says reveals how homeless men in Tortilla Flat would normally have to get through a storm: by hiding out underneath whatever shelter they could find. Ignacia, on the other hand, offers a home, which includes comfort, wine, and, ahem, "company."
Quote #8
The friends slept on the floor, and their bedding was unusual. Pablo had three sheepskins stitched together. Jesus Maria retired by putting his arms through the sleeves of one old overcoat and his legs through the sleeves of another. Pilon wrapped himself in a big strip of carpet. Most of the time Big Joe simply curled up like a dog and slept in his clothes. (14.4)
Not exactly luxury living, is it? The scene is sort of comical, but it also shows us how impoverished these guys must be to accept these conditions and consider them to be great.
Quote #9
Thus must it be, O wise friends of Danny. The cord that bound you together is cut. The magnet that drew you has lost its virtue. Some stranger will own the house, some joyless relative of Danny's. Better that this symbol of holy friendship, this good house of parties and fights, of love and comfort, should die as Danny died, in one last glorious, hopeless assault on the gods. (17.39)
We get that heavy language again, with its "O wise friends of Danny" directly addressing the group in a weird, old-fashioned way that makes us feel like we're witnessing the end of an important legend. The house is compared to a cord and a magnet binding and drawing the friends together. Both a cord and a magnet are strong forces that keep things in place; when they stop working, everything falls apart, just as Danny's group of friends does when Danny dies and the house burns down.