How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I sat by a snapping winter fire, surrounded by family […] I turned forward again, my eyes focused on Father. My eyelids wanted to close after a long day of work, but excitement kept them open. It was story time. (3.1)
In Code Talker, family is very closely associated with storytelling. This quote shows us just what a big part storytelling is in Chester's family. It's one important way that the family comes together.
Quote #2
That day we would follow the three hundred sheep to a new grazing area, where we'd stay for a few days before moving on. (2.25)
Chester's teamwork skills are honed through his work with his family herding sheep. These skills will come in handy when he joins the Marines later, since he'll have to work with other code talkers and Marines to win the war against the Japanese.
Quote #3
The entire family had worked hard to build up our herd, and we were happy and grateful for our healthy animals. In Navajo country, sheep were a measure of wealth […] With the herd reduced by seven hundred head, all those years of labor came to nothing. (8.15)
The Great Livestock Massacre is a huge blow to Chester's family. Will they stick together? Of course they do: they're there for each other through thick and thin.
Quote #4
I returned to Fort Defiance alone. I forced myself to go, pushing the dread I felt to the back of my mind. I wanted to make my family proud. (8.45-46)
Chester hates his school at Fort Defiance. How could he not when there are all those scary matrons beating all the little kids? But his biggest motivation in going back to school is his family; he wants to make them proud. His decision to join the Marines later is also partly motivated by his desire to make his family proud.
Quote #5
When my time at home had passed the half-year mark, I finally broke down and told my sister Dora about these unwelcome visitors. Then I told Father, Grandmother, and Grandfather […] My family agreed that if things continued as they were, the Japanese would eventually take me away. I needed a ceremony. They would put up an Enemy Way. (17.34)
Chester's having trouble dealing with all of the horrible things he's seen during the war. But his family's there to support him. We see the way in which Chester's family is so important in helping him overcome the trauma of the war.
Quote #6
With the children all in school, [Ethel] started to work outside the home […] Sometimes she partied with the people she met at work. She and I began to pull away from each other. (21.21)
While family's a big source of joy for Chester, it's also a source of heartbreak. It's not all fun and good times when he and his wife grow apart and then decide to get a divorce.
Quote #7
Although I worked, I made sure to spend lots of time with my children and their friends […] On weekends, the children and I played football and baseball out on the street. I never tired of their company. (21.26)
Chester's big on family, as we can see from the fact that he loves to spend time with his children. Being a Marine is one big part of his identity. Being a family man is the other.
Quote #8
The judge allowed me to keep my four boys. They were good kids. We divided up all the chores, and everyone did his part. I was happy to have them with me. (21.35)
What a dude: after he gets a divorce from Ethel, it's Chester who takes on the responsibility of raising his sons. Is this guy committed to his family or what?
Quote #9
[J]ust days before his death, Stanley had talked with me about the picture. "You'll have to finish this drawing for me," he said.
The drawing was never finished. For a long time after Stanley died, I couldn't make myself care about life. (21.13-14)
This is one of the big tragedies of Chester's family life: the death of his son Stanley. Chester's sense of loss after Stanley's death suggests just how attached he is to his family.
Quote #10
I had been honored by the U.S. Congress, but on this day my extended family was hosting a celebration in my honor. (22.2)
Chester values his family, but his family also values him. This celebration in his honor shows us how the relationship between Chester and his family is a two-way street.