How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When Mother allowed herself a still moment by the fire on winter nights, I could sometimes see the face she wore when Father was alive. Back then Mother smiled at me with her eyes and her laughter and her gentle hands. But no longer. Life was a battle, and Mother a tired and bitter captain. The captain I had to obey. (2.25)
Matilda's mother is a single parent who has taken on the task of raising her daughter – and running a coffeehouse. Why does Matilda call her the captain? What does this title imply in terms of gender?
Quote #2
"Can that be little Mattie?" elderly Mr. Carris asked as he squinted through his bifocals. "Why, she's grown into a fine young lady. Much too fine for this type of work. We'll have to find a husband for you."
"A husband! A husband!" squawked King George.
My face flushed as the men laughed.
"Hush, you old thing," I muttered to the bird. It would have been rude to hush Mr. Carris. "I'll feed you to Silas if you don't close that beak." (4.6-4.9)
Why does Mr. Carris assume that Mattie would rather have a husband than work? Why is this an either/or choice for her? That is, why does Mr. Carris assume that Mattie couldn't both have a job and have a husband? Also, what do you think is the significance of King George, the parrot, in this scene?
Quote #3
A low voice and soft address are the common indications of a well-bred woman. – Hannah More, The Young Lady Abroad or Affectionate Advice on the Social and Moral Habits of Females, 1777 (5.epigraph)
Hannah More's The Young Lady Abroad is an eighteenth-century conduct manual that details the proper behavior for young ladies. Here she advises women to lower their voices and use gentle address. Does Matilda follow this advice? How does Matilda struggle against this conventional kind of feminine behavior?
Quote #4
By the time they had tightened, pinned, and locked me into my clothes, I could feel my stomach rubbing against my backbone. Mother pulled my arms back until my shoulder blades touched, the proper posture for a lady.
"She looks like a china doll," observed Grandfather as we departed.
"I will break just as easily," I muttered. (6.95-6.97)
Matilda's family dolls her up for her visit to the Ogilvie house where, her mother believes, she might just catch herself a husband. Does Matilda like wearing fancy, girly clothes? Why is the image of a broken doll important for Matilda?
Quote #5
The Ogilvie daughters, Colette and Jeannine, swept into the room, dressed in matching pink and yellow bombazine gowns, wearing their curled hair piled on top of their heads. I should have let Eliza curl my hair. Dash it all. (7.21)
Colette and Jeannie are rich girls who wear pretty prink dresses and have beautifully curled hair. Matilda finds it difficult to live up to the standard they set. Notice that they look very different physically from Matilda, but they also act differently. Instead of working in a coffeehouse, they learn French and practice feminine accomplishments. Do you relate more to Colette and Jeannine or to Matilda?
Quote #6
Mother's shift and blue-and-white striped overskirt fit better than I had imagined. They were made of cotton, spun fine and tightly woven, and felt as light as silk after wearing my dirt-encrusted homespun for so long. I twirled around the room, ready for a ball, curtsying to the east corner, and then the west. This would suit me fine. (18.12)
Once Matilda and Grandfather return to the city, Matilda starts wearing her mother's clothes. How is this a symbolic act? Though Matilda is wearing her mother's clothes, she still describes putting them on like she's playing dress up. How come?
Quote #7
I shook my head. Nonsense. Foolish nonsense. I was being weak and foolish. There was no point in wandering like a lost puppy. I needed to get home and sleep. Grandfather would not be proud if he saw me acting so spineless. I needed to captain myself. (20.87)
Matilda earlier described her mother as her captain. Here, she uses the same image but in a different way. What does it mean to captain herself?
Quote #8
Eliza pulled a knife from the waistband of her skirt. "If they try again, we'll be ready."
Once that would have shocked me, but no longer. I picked up the sword and hung it over the fireplace. We would keep the children safe. (25.15-25.16)
Back at the coffeehouse, Matilda and Eliza have become the sole protectors of the children. What is the significance of the weapons? (Hint: think phallic symbols and masculine authority.)
Quote #9
"Eliza, I want you to be my partner. There's no one better suited to it, no one I can trust. Or who will put up with me." (27.54)
Matilda asks Eliza to be her business partner. What path has Matilda chosen for herself? Why has she included Eliza?
Quote #10
"I have plenty of ideas," I assured her. "What if we baked small cakes and delivered them to the State House with a handbill advertising our new wares?"
Eliza frowned.
"How many cakes? The price of sugar is still high. How about apple bread instead? That's cheaper to make."
Nathaniel cleared his throat. "I could paint a sign that you could put out front. I could make a design for the handbill, too." (28.15-28.18)
Eliza, Matilda, and Nathaniel consult about plans for the coffeehouse. Notice that Nathaniel is a part of the process, but he's only one part. Matilda has both a job and a boyfriend. They are both intertwined.