How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When people see me, they see walking art. They pause because the hair is bouncing, the light brown eyes are twinkling without trying, the skin is caramel and crème, the galletas are shaking, the body's untouchable tight. (2.7)
We need to take what Trina thinks and says with a grain of salt; she might be the only one who thinks she's all that. We see that she values her body, which she most likely learned from her mom and society, but she ends up taking it to the extreme in her internal dialogue.
Quote #2
When you think Dominique, you forget she has natural waves and a nice complexion. You think girl on the ball court in the biggy-baggy basketball jerseys and shorts. (4.17)
When Leticia thinks of Dominique, she focuses on what she—Leticia—values: physical appearance and traditional beauty. She doesn't even consider Dominique's other attributes, like basketball and honesty.
Quote #3
She should say what she means and mean what she says.
I'm clear.
I'm not confused.
I don't act.
I don't play cute.
I know what I want. I have my priorities. My rules. (10.39-44)
In history class, Dominique mentally compares herself to another girl in the class. And we can't help but respect Dominique for trying to step outside of the rather slim boundaries of femininity that exist within her school. Even if we disagree with her priorities and her rules.
Quote #4
Doesn't she know how dumb she looks, waving her arms like an ape, banging against that teacher's door? Where is AP Shelton when kids are acting up?
Me, AP Shelton would catch, but boy-girl banging against the door—he'll walk the other way like she's invisible. (16.4-5)
Trina walks past Dominique, who is trying to get her teacher's attention. Take a look at the language Trina uses to describe Dominique: "dumb," "ape," and "boy-girl." What does this reveal to us about how Trina sees women? Does this make Trina less sympathetic a character? Why or why not?
Quote #5
Pop!
My nail! My silk-wrapped, hand-painted, custom-designed, three-quarter-inch square-cut nail tip with the sparkling faux diamond flies off my finger and shoots across the gym. I am knocking down girls in white Ts and blue shorts to rescue my custom-designed nail. (17.29-30)
Leticia doesn't move for nothing and nobody. But nails? Nails are important. Classes are not. Trina is not. Nails? It's a whole other story. And Leticia is upset because she doesn't want her crush, Chem II James, to see her damaged hand. Ugh.
Quote #6
I was mad and had to do something and mad sex is some good s***, yo. […] I never did that before. (21.6)
Dominique is the only girl who is sexually active in the novel. What might Williams-Garcia be trying to communicate about the relationship between sex and femininity in the novel? How about sex and maturity?
Quote #7
Oh yeah, we're girls. But they don't even try. They don't have enough natural goodness to stretch, roll, and go in the morning. They need color. Lotion. Effort. Girls like Griffy and Pheoma, boy-girls, are not straight-out lezzies. […] They're just boy-girls and they get mad if you look at them like Know your role, boy-girl. (23.2)
Oh boy. Or oh girl. Trina straight up says what she thinks girls should value: appearance and an effort to look good. And girls who don't? Well, they shouldn't be upset if Trina judges. It's strange that Trina thinks that people won't get mad if she looks at them all judgmentally. No one likes being judged.
Quote #8
Dominique's a stone boy-girl. Ponytail, jeans, big-ass lumberjack shirt like she Brawny Girl. Never wears pinks, violets, or orange—naranja would go perfect with her skin! Never shows off her curves. (23.7)
This is what Trina thinks of Dominique. Yes, Trina values traditional feminine traits (tighter clothes, feminine colors), but we start to respect Dominique's choice not to fulfill that feminine expectation. Because for Dominique, acting like a traditional girl—cute and two-faced—isn't really desirable at all.
Quote #9
No one cares about guys fighting. That's, like, so what. You see that in the halls during bell change. But girl fights are something else. Girls don't show off their skills when they fight. […] Unlike two guys getting down, girls don't try to look pretty. (24.2)
Leticia tries to consider the difference between guy fights and girl fights, and there's a serious gender difference. Guy fights include a lot of posturing, a lot of choreography, but girl fights are vicious. What society values in girls—namely looks—falls far by the wayside.
Quote #10
It's too bad none of my guys are here to look out for me. […] If I gave the word, made the pout, they would take care of me. Talk to Ivan, and Ivan would chill out and mature. (28.34)
Trina's annoyed because Ivan doesn't fall for her cute girl schtick. She's falling into the very traditional "having others fight her fights" mode of operation, but unfortunately, this tactic doesn't get her very far with Ivan.