How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
That time I saw tears in her eyes. It made me feel all empty inside and I cried a little, too. By the time she was through kissing me and talking to me, I was sure I didn't need any dogs at all. I couldn't stand to see Mama cry. (2.65)
Billy loves his family so much that he can almost convince himself that he doesn't need any dogs. Check it out, Mama: those dogs are going to make you cry again, but this time they're going to be tears of happiness.
Quote #2
I wanted to share my happiness with my sisters but decided not to say anything about ordering the pups.
Arriving home, I dumped the sack of candy out on the bed. Six little hands helped themselves. I was repaid by the love and adoration I saw in the wide blue eyes of my three little sisters. (3.68-69)
See how much Billy loves his sisters? He's willing to share his candy with them, even after not having had any for two years. Too bad he doesn't love them enough to give them names or distinguish them in any way.
Quote #3
I decided it was time to tell my father the whole story. I fully intended to tell him that evening. I tried several times, but somehow I couldn't. I wasn't scared of him, for he never whipped me. He was always kind and gentle, but for some reason, I don't know why, I just couldn't tell him. (4.18)
Look, sometimes a kid just needs privacy—even when his family is as warm and loving as Billy's. Wanting to have a space of your own is part of growing up. You have to learn to see yourself as an individual, and not just part of a family. (Unless you're a Kennedy, or something. Then you're really just stuck with your family.)
Quote #4
As I turned to leave, my eyes again fell on the overalls and the bolts of cloth. I thought of my mother, father, and sisters. Here was an opportunity to make amends for leaving home without telling anyone. (4.40)
Hmmm, this seems a bit like bribery to us. As though Mama's going to buttered up with a few lengths of cloth, right? Still, you can imagine that Billy feels pretty good about not coming home empty-handed.
Quote #5
While Mama was bundling me up, Papa lit my lantern. He handed it to me, saying, "I'd like to see a big coonskin on the smokehouse wall in the morning."
The whole family followed me out on the porch. (8.28-29)
It's a big ol' family send off for Billy! Just one more way his family is ridiculously—one might almost say, unbelievably—supportive of Billy and his dreams.
Quote #6
My mother told me always to be kind to Rainie, that he couldn't help being the way he was. I asked, "Why?" She said it was because his brothers were always picking on him and beating him. (12.14)
So much for the anti-Billy. The questions here is, if Billy had been born into the Pritchard family, would he have turned out like Rainie? Or is there something special and unique about Billy that would have come through no matter who his parents were?
Quote #7
I saw the fire come back to his eyes. This made me feel better. He was more like the grandpa I loved […].
I didn't care how many deals my grandpa cooked up. He was still the best grandpa in the whole wide world. (14.16-22)
Sometimes your family is a pillar of strength; sometimes your family is a kooky old grandpa who's getting you into scrapes. Is it just us, or does Grandpa sometimes feel like more of a kid than Billy himself?
Quote #8
I had a wonderful mother and father and three little sisters. I had the best grandpa a boy ever had, and to top it all, I was going on a championship coon hunt. (14.78)
Billy really does love and appreciate his family, but, huh, seems like he left someone out. You know, like his grandma? That's a little weird, and we're wondering why she doesn't seem to have a bigger role in his life.
Quote #9
When Mama said this, it dawned on me. I had been so busy with my coon hunting I hadn't noticed anything unusual. Mama's tummy was all swelled up. She was going to have a baby. I felt guilty for not having noticed. (14.94)
Billy finally realizes that by getting so caught up in his own world of hunting, he might be neglecting his family a bit. You know, just a tiny bit. To be fair, we're not sure many adolescent boys want to think about their moms being pregnant.
Quote #10
We decided that when we moved to town we'd leave you here with your grandpa for a while. He needs help anyway. But I guess the Good Lord didn't want that to happen. He doesn't like to see families split up. (19.180)
This is Papa's reason for why God took Billy's dogs away. Billy has a strong faith in God, but he doesn't seem to thrilled by his dad's reasoning. At least, not at the time. Billy the adult narrator might have a different opinion.