How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
He was a half-breed with eyes that were mean and close-set and that stayed open all the time like snake eyes. I was a face hardened in sin. Creeks are good Indians, they say, but a Creek-white like him or a Creek-Negro is something else again. (3.257)
Mattie may be open-minded when it comes to Indians and black people, but she's not so generous when it comes to mixed-race people. But why? Is this Portis giving her character depth, or is it suggesting something about American attitudes towards intermarriage?
Quote #5
LaBoeuf said he was not accustomed to such a big fire, that in Texas they frequently had little more than a fire of twigs and buffalo chips with which to warm up their beans. (6.57)
Okay, we threw this one in just for laughs. Mattie just will not stop with the Texas versus Arkansas rivalry thing; she's as bad as a Hogs fan.
Quote #6
He reminded me of some of those Slovak people that came in here a few years ago to cut barrel staves. The ones that stayed usually made good citizens. People from those countries are usually Catholic if they are anything. They love candles and beads. (6.94)
Mattie isn't exactly saying anything bad here, but she is making some pretty sweeping generalizations, and her tone is judgmental and condescending. At the same time, if we read past Mattie's tone we can see America as a multicultural nation of immigrants—which is exactly what it was. Even Mattie's family was from somewhere else.