How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
Dinner at the Finneys' was an experience. When we arrived, Mary Lou's brothers were running around like crazed animals, jumping over the furniture and tossing footballs. Mary Lou's older sister, Maggie, was talking on the telephone and plucking her eyebrows at the same time. Mr. Finney was cooking something in the kitchen, with the help of four year-old Tommy. Phoebe whispered, "I am not too optimistic about the possibilities of this meal." (25.1)
The Finney household is chaotic, and the Winterbottom household is orderly. The Finney's show each other affection, the Winterbottoms do not. The Finneys eat fried chicken and buttered beans, the Winterbottoms eat cholesterol-free meals. Which family is happier? Hey, we're just saying.
Quote #11
All through dinner, I kept thinking of Bybanks, and what it was like when we went to my grandparents' house for dinner. There were always tons of people – relatives and neighbors – and lots of confusion. It was a friendly sort of confusion, and it was like that at the Finneys'. (25.31)
The Finneys remind Sal of Gram and Gramps and their home in Bybanks. Through the Finneys we readers get a glimpse of what the Hiddle family used to be like, back in the days before Sal's mom left home.
Quote #12
On the roof, in the wide open air, they lay there kissing each other. It made me feel peculiar. They reminded me of my parents, before the stillborn baby, before the operation. (26.27)
We wonder if it must be comforting or frustrating for Sal to see a family that reminds her of what her own family used to be like. How would you feel if you were in Sal's shoes?