How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Carney did not pinch my cheek today. He pinched something else. I guess I’m getting too big to sell junk. (32.16)
“Oh well, I guess I can’t sell junk anymore without getting my booty pinched.” That’s how deeply ingrained sexism was in the early 1900s. What do you think Francie's reaction would be if she lived in modern times? How much progress do you think we've made?
Quote #8
“Well, tell us why girls are different from boys.”
Mama thought a while. “The main difference is that a little girl sits down when she goes to the bathroom and a little boys stands up.”
“But Mama,” said Francie. “I stand up when I’m afraid in that dark toilet.
“And I,” confessed Neeley, “sit down when…”
Mama interrupted. “Well, there’s a little bit of man in every woman and a little bit of woman in every man.”
That ended the discussion because it was so puzzling to the children that they decided to go no further with it (33.12-17)
Mama’s puzzling response to the kids is an interesting thought. Is gender really more of a spectrum? Are we just blends of gender expectations for both men and women? Mama’s thought seems very ahead of its time, in a way.
Quote #9
“But I can still feel where it touched.” She moaned and cried out insanely, “I want my leg cut off.” (33.74)
When Francie is attacked she feels completely violated and disgusted. She can still feel where the man’s penis touched her leg, and she wants it gone, even if that means injuring herself further.