How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Cleveland is a city of immigrants. The Poles are especially well known here. I'd always heard that Polish men were steelworkers and that the women cooked lots of cabbage. But I'd never know one—until the garden. She was an old woman whose space bordered mine. She had a seven-block walk to the garden, the same route I took. We spoke quite often. (12.5)
Amir has heard some pretty specific stereotypes about Polish people. And before he meets a Polish woman, these stereotypes are all the information he has, which means his picture of Polish people is super skewed. Well, Amir is about to get to know his Polish neighbor pretty well, and he's going to find out just how misleading stereotypes can be.
Quote #8
She looked down at them and said she knew she ought to do it, but that this task reminded her too closely of her concentration camp, where the prisoners were inspected each morning and divided into two lines—the healthy to live and the others to die. Her father, an orchestra violinist, had spoken out against the Germans, which had caused her family's arrest. When I heard her words, I realized how useless was all that I'd heard about Poles, how much richness it hid, like the worthless shell around an almond. I still do not know, or car, whether she cooks cabbage. (12.5)
When Amir gets to know his Polish pal better, he discovers that the stereotypes he's heard are just plain wrong. And worse than that, they actually keep people from really learning about other individuals. Amir compares a stereotype to a "worthless shell around an almond." What do you think of this comparison? One thing is for sure: it's a good thing Amir ignores the stereotypes, because he ends up making a great friend.
Quote #9
Many people spoke to me that day. Several asked where I was from. I wondered if they knew as little about Indians as I had known about Poles. (12.9)
Amir realizes that racial assumptions can go both ways. And yes, it's great that Amir has learned to look past stereotypes, but does this mean that everyone has had the same realization? Are there characters that make assumptions about Amir based on his race?