How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Wooden bridges spanning brackish creeks named for long-gone Indian tribes rumble like far-off thunder under a passing wheel [...] (1.1.2)
Where did those Indian tribes go off to? They didn't just disappear. President Andrew Jackson (yeah, the one on the $50 bill) organized a mass removal of native Americans in the 1830s, so that the only thing left behind was place names and tears.
Quote #2
Radclif squinted his eyes while he considered. "Well," he said at last, "they've got a coupla n*****s out there, and I know them." (1.1.52)
Sam Radclif's description of the people living at Skully's Landing is obviously marked by his views on race. The way he constructs the sentence, "they've got," shows that he understands the relationship between the Skully family and their servants as one of ownership, and also reflects a deeply racist society.
Quote #3
Miss Roberta had lent Romeo as Joel's guide. The two kept duplicate pace; the Negro boy carried Joel's bag […] (1.1.99)
Even though slavery had been abolished many decades before, the way people interact reveals an ingrained attitude that considers black people to be property. Miss Roberta "lends" her employee to Joel, and he, as though it were expected of him, carries Joel's bag for him.