How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
At first Nardo didn't want to go to the fields. Not because of pride, although he'd have used that excuse at the beginning if he could've gotten away with it. It was more because, like anyone else, he didn't like sobbing out tears of sweat in 110-degree sun. […]
Although it was hard for Nardo to duck my mom's accusing eyes, especially when Magda, my sister, came home slumped from the laundry after feeding bed sheets all day into a steam press, he was refusing to work anymore. Whether one tried threats, scoldings, or even shaming, which my mom tried almost every other day, nothing worked. (1.10-11)
Nardo isn't the hardest worker around; in fact, he sounds like a slacker. Manny seems to have to perspectives on this, though: On the one hand, he's sort of sympathetic; after all, no one wants to work in terrible heat. But on the other hand, Magda's working so hard, and this makes Nardo's slacker attitude look pretty pathetic.
Quote #2
I wasn't like Nardo. I suppose years of not knowing what, besides work, was expected from a Mexican convinced me that I wouldn't pass from this earth without putting in a lot of days. I suppose Nardo figured the same, and wasn't about to waste his time. But I was of my grandpa Ignacio's line of useful blood. All his life, no matter what the job, my grandpa worked like a man trying to fill all his tomorrows with one solid say's work. Even in the end, when he got sick and couldn't move, he hated sitting on the couch doing nothing. He'd fumble around the house fixing sockets and floor trim, painting lower shelves and screwing legs back on to tables, although the finished chore was always more a sign of how much his mind had gotten older than anything else. (1.16)
Manny isn't hemming and hawing when it comes to hard work. He figures he should be a hard worker and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. What do you think of the reasons Manny gives? He is influenced by the stereotype that as a Mexican he'll spend a lot of his time working hard, but he also thinks hard work is in his "blood." Keep an eye out in this book for what other forces encourage Manny to persevere through thick and thin.
Quote #3
We'd been picking about two hours when the sun began scalding the backs of our hands, leaving a pocket of heat crawling like a small animal inside our shirts. My fingers were as rubbery as old carrots, and it seemed forever before the peppers rose to the center of my can. (1.33)
Nardo and Manny go to work in the chili fields. And when we say work we mean seriously hard work—it's hot as the sun and sounds pretty miserable. Did you notice Manny's descriptions about his body? The heat feels "like a small animal inside our shirts" and his fingers feel "as rubbery as old carrots." This work isn't just hard, it's really physically unpleasant.
Quote #4
Dad thought I should cut school altogether and get a dishwashing job. Start on the bottom and work your way up, that's what he'd say. Only most of the people he knew started at the bottom and worked their way sideways. (3.3)
For a guy who doesn't currently have a job, Dad sure has a strong opinion about work. He figures that if you get a job lowdown on the pole, then you can persist until you're in a better position, no education needed.
Quote #5
Cleaning a yard to my dad meant even the grass edges had to be trimmed and plants polished. He reminded us that he'd check on our work, making sure we dug out to his satisfaction the tufts of grass near Grandma's roses and pinched out whatever mealy bugs and aphids were chewing on stems. We could tell it was going to be one of those hot days when asphalt softens and ants foam up from the dirt with the scratch of a stick and when dogs bark, the sound is dry, like hollow wood. But it was still morning, and the first hour was a smile and thoughts of lunch; nothing but a few shrubs to chop and leaves to rake. (5.20)
Based on the list Manny gives us here, his Dad expects this yard to win gardening contests. But since it's so hot that "asphalt softens," reaching this level of perfection seems nearly impossible. On the other hand, though, Manny seems pretty chill about the whole thing—he's not super worried about persisting to the end and is more focused on the reward of lunch. And this has us wondering: What gives Manny such an upbeat attitude?
Quote #6
When we stopped, finally, the sun was prickling like a hot rash on the back of my neck, and a piece of lava was wedged in my spine. My brother's face was swollen and burnished as a new penny. A channel of sweat slipped down the bridge of his nose and plopped on the dirt near his feet. His eyes, drowsy with sun, watched it like someone who didn't deserve sweat. (5.24)
So Manny might've had an optimistic attitude toward cleaning up at Grandma's house, but reality is setting in, and as it turns out, being persistent in tidying up the garden is taking a huge physical toll on Manny and Nardo. This is backbreaking work.
Quote #7
"No, you just keep on working. I'll be right back. Don't worry, I'll be right back." Nardo made a move to leave, but seeing me straighten up, he put his hand assuringly on my shoulder: "Don't you believe me?" he asked. "I said I'll be right back."
"No, I believe you," I said. I just want to make sure you're not going to take a nap." (5.28-29)
It's no secret that Nardo isn't the best worker around, so when he and Manny are cleaning the yard at Grandma's house, it isn't surprising that Nardo tries to shimmy out of some of the work. But Manny isn't about to let the wool be pulled over his eyes—he's like a hawk, watching Nardo to make sure that he's not left alone to finish the project on his own.
Quote #8
After a couple of weeks of watching punches pop deeper into the bag, and guys skip blurs on the jump rope—Albert actually hit the tetherball four swipes in a row!—I began to get a little swell-headed bout our chances. Sure, at first I was a bit leery, since those other guys were bigger and could cross their arms when jumping rope, but they weren't any better than us, not really. (7.49)
The boxing team has been working hard, and it's showing results. Manny didn't necessarily believe in the team in the beginning, but he figures that all the hard work is paying off, and this turns on his dreamer reflex. He really can be an optimistic guy when he wants to, so it's no surprise that he's looking at the bright side for his teammates. Maybe this boxing team can prove that hard work really does reap its own rewards—that would totally rock.
Quote #9
Mom stuck her hands under Magda's shoulders and lifted. "Let's go, honey, let's go see the doctor." Her hands kept sliding out from under Magda's armpits, and she kept drooping back to the floor. "Manny, get over here and help me," she said. "We got to get her inside the clinic." She turned to the receptionist and said in the politest voice she knew if she could please get a wheelchair.
"Okay, I will, but I'm sorry you won't be able to see the doctor right now." (8.25-26)
Mom is working so hard to help her daughter out, trying to get the receptionist at the hospital to bring Magda to see a doctor. But even Mom's polite attitude can't do the trick; no matter how much she persists, the receptionist won't budge on getting Magda in to see the doctor sooner. It's as if there's truly nothing at all Mom can do to change the situation, and the whole thing feels pretty hopeless. Mom keeps on persevering, though. She takes her job as mom very seriously.
Quote #10
Nardo, who'd taken off earlier, should have been waiting outside, since he didn't want Mr. Giddens to find out I was working with him. I doubted if he'd get fired, though, since Nardo with my help was the fastest deliverer that old boss man had. (9.7)
We've heard loads about Nardo quitting or getting fired in this book, but now it looks like he's finally found a job where that won't be a problem. He works hard and it pays off. Phew. Sure, he has some help, but that only makes him a better delivery guy, plus it means Manny has an in for a job in the future when he's older. It's actually kind of a win-win.