How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Mattie's place was always hopping. She was right about people always passing through, and not just customers, either. There was another whole set of people who spoke Spanish and lived with her upstairs for various lengths of time. I asked her about them once, and she asked me something like had I ever heard of a sanctuary. (6.8)
Mattie tries to remind the American people that as a signatory to UN treaties, the U.S. is obligated to take in refugees whose lives are being threatened. Since the state and federal governments aren't doing the job to her satisfaction, she's willing to do what she can to meet those obligations on those people's behalf. In Mattie's opinion, the country is shirking its duties as a member of a global community of nations.
Quote #5
"Tortolita, let me tell you a story," Estevan said. [...] "If you go to visit hell, you will see a room like this kitchen. There is a pot of delicious stew on the table, with the most delicate aroma you can imagine. All around, people sit, like us. Only they are dying of starvation. They are jabbering and jabbering," he looked extra hard at Mrs. Parsons, "but they cannot get a bite of this wonderful stew God has made for them. Now, why is that?" (7.141)
First, "Tortolita" is Estevan's nickname for turtle. We know, sounds like a mix between tortellini, a margarita, and a much better name for a girl than "Turtle." Anway, Estevan's story, even if it's kind of weird that he's talking to a three-year-old about visiting hell, emphasizes the importance of community and reciprocal care. The people around the table in hell can't feed themselves because their spoons are too long. But in heaven, the people don't worry about feeding themselves: instead, they use their long spoons to feed one another. Get it? It's all about taking care of the people around you. Like by calling them fun names like "Tortolita."
Quote #6
Now and again these days, not just in emergencies, we were leaving the kids with Edna and Virgie Mae on their front porch to be looked after. Edna was so sweet we just hoped she would cancel out Virgie's sour, like the honey and vinegar in my famous Chinese recipe. It was awfully convenient, anyway, and Turtle seemed to like them okay. She called them Poppy and Parsnip. (8.59)
Although Taylor worries about the things Turtle might pick up from the somewhat nasty Virgie Mae Parsons, a.k.a. Parsnip, the neighbors slowly establish themselves as part of the community of caretakers who help to raise Turtle. Some say it takes a village to raise a child, and The Bean Trees certainly agrees. Especially if it's a village with plant nicknames.