How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[Y]ou might just possibly manage to escape from being squelched before you are very much older. (1.29)
That "you" is you. Yep, you. Because we're reading this while we're still pretty young, we are in danger of being squelched by a witch. The fact that we have another young person looking out for us, though, leads to a sense of camaraderie – we feel like we're in good company.
Quote #2
Although I was very young, I was not prepared to believe everything my grandmother told me. (2.51)
Young, but not gullible. That's something that we struggle with a lot as kids. Just because we're young, it doesn't mean we're stupid. Our narrator has a healthy dose of cynicism, meaning he doesn't believe everything he hears – but he still has enough wonder to enjoy the excitement of the stories.
Quote #3
"Would you like a puff of my cigar?" she said.
"I'm only seven, Grandmamma."
"I don't care what age you are," she said. "You'll never catch a cold if you smoke cigars." (2.55-56)
Although we usually like Grandmamma's rules (like not to bathe too often), Shmoop is with the narrator here. It sounds like he was listening when he was told to Just Say No – even to Grandma.