How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
One corner of which was a day-labor gathering site, meaning Mexican and Guatemalan men would stand around on the empty lot hoping to get a day's work digging trenches, moving furniture, hauling firewood, or picking fruit. The men stared intensely into every car, hoping to win you over before you stopped. Pick me, their faces said. (3.2)
The day laborers want so badly to work, but they don't have jobs. Even harder, they don't have any hope of getting a legit job since most of them are undocumented. Pearl might see these workers every day on the way to school, but she lives in a different world from them.
Quote #2
The illegal ones worked seven days a week for years at a stretch, saved their money, then went home for about eight months to be with their families. Every time they went home, they had to borrow money to pay coyotes who smuggled them back in. (4.12)
Early on, Pearl describes the different types of people that live in Fallbrook. While Pearl realizes that many of the undocumented workers are very poor, she doesn't really understand what this means. In fact, she doesn't fully grasp the situation until she starts spending more time with Amiel and sees what it is like for him to live in the woods first hand.
Quote #3
"Isn't this the greatest?" I said. "It's like your tree house, only with found stuff. Like a fort you can really live in." "The hobo really has been living it up out here," Robby said, and I could tell he didn't think it was the greatest. (16.54)
It's easy for Pearl to get excited about Amiel's homemade shack in the woods since she doesn't live there. Her glee at discovering his home helps us understand how Amiel lives and eats day to day. It's clear that he has to work hard just to survive in a way that Pearl has never had to think about.