Character Analysis
When Turtle is sent off to Key West to live with her aunt, we assume that (1) her aunt knows about it, and (2) she wants her there. As it turns out, though, neither are really the case. It's not that her aunt dislikes Turtle or anything; it's just that she's got enough on her plate. Her hubby is always gone and she's got three young kids to take care of, plus everyone's laundry to tend to in order to make some extra dough. Still, Aunt Minnie rises to the occasion and welcomes Turtle in.
Turtle notices that life is tough for her aunt. When she's trying to get her sons to do something, it's always a struggle. Turtle describes the scene:
Aunt Minnie looks up at the ceiling as if she's praying for patience. She's going to be praying a long time at this rate. (11.22)
It looks like Aunt Minnie won't get relief anytime soon. She's an example of what happened during the Great Depression as people struggled to find jobs, making ends meet however they could. Turtle realizes that Aunt Minnie works herself to the bone to provide for her family, and while it's a hard knock life, she doesn't have much of a choice considering how many other people are without work.