How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #4
My hands began to fan out, grow like a liar's nose until they hung by my side like low weights. (3)
The narrator is called "bull hands" because she is clumsy with her needlework. When her sisters make fun of her, though, it only seems to exacerbate the problem—her hands grow even more, like Pinocchio's nose. The idea that her bad behavior could cause a change in her body (like lying and the growing nose) is kind of silly, but she seems to believe it.
Quote #5
Abuelita made a balm out of dried moth wings and Vicks and rubbed my hands, shaped them back to size and it was the strangest feeling. (3)
The narrator's grandmother seems to have some magical powers hidden up her sleeve, and she's able to reshape the narrator's hands, which grew after her sisters' insults (see the previous quote). Now, because of love, the narrator's appearance returns to normal. The effects of her family members' love or hate are evident in her appearance… or her sense of her appearance, anyway.
Quote #6
Looking into her gray eye, then into her brown one, the doctor said it was just a matter of days. (6)
Just as the narrator's bull hands are evidence of her clumsiness and her sisters' meanness, the grandmother's body also holds the keys to her existence. The doctor looks into her eyes and just seems to know that she's dying. This is another instance of appearances being especially meaningful in this story—and we have more to say about Abuelita's eyes over in the "Symbols" section.