How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"It never come off of your vine, though," Nancy said.
"Off of what vine?" Caddy said.
"I can cut down the vine it did come off of," Jesus said. (1.16-18)
The story juxtaposes the children's reality with the adults' reality. The adults understand sexual euphemisms—here, you know that vine stands in for penis—and other facts such as that Nancy is pregnant. The children inhabit a different world, mystified by the adults' words and actions. The subtlety adds to the story's horror, since reality is clear but only menacingly hinted at.
Quote #2
Nancy had her hat on. We came to the lane. "Jesus always been good to me," Nancy said. "Whenever he had two dollars, one of them was mine." We walked in the lane. "If I can just get through the lane," Nancy said, "I be all right then." (1.57)
Wait, isn't Jesus supposed to be this super scary guy endangering everyone in the story? That's one reality Nancy believes. At the same time, she says he's been good to her. Maybe she's just trying to calm herself. Either way, the true reality of who Jesus is remains ambiguous.
Quote #3
"Drink some coffee," Dilsey said. She poured a cup of coffee for Nancy. "Do you know he's out there tonight? How come you know it's tonight?"
"I know," Nancy said. "He's there, waiting. I know. I done lived with him too long. I know what he is fixing to do fore he know it himself." (2.24-25)
Check this out: it's yet another passage with ambiguity. Nancy claims to know Jesus is waiting for her, as if she can foretell the future, perhaps a sort of mad conviction in her mind. It sounds pretty looney tunes to us. On the other hand, maybe she's just making a reasonable prediction.