Important Quotations Explained
1. She has
been too frightened to carry out any strategy, but now a road is
opening up before her. She clasps her hands on her chest—she can
feel her pounding heart—and nods. Then, as if the admission itself
loosens her tongue, she begins to speak, English, a few words, of
apology at first, then a great flood of explanation . . .
In Chapter 1,
Yolanda gets lost while gathering fresh guavas in the countryside,
and gets a flat tire. While stranded, two men approach and ask if
she needs help. She is frozen with terror until they ask if she
is an American. At this point, she begins speaking English, which
the men do not understand, and assents that she is indeed American.
This is ironic because the purpose for her trip to the Dominican
Republic was to assert her Dominican identity and connect to her
cultural and family roots. Yet, she fears interacting with Dominicans
outside the safety of the family compound. During this moment of
panic, she feels most comfortable pretending not to understand a
word of Spanish. Her behavior is considered strange by Dominican
standards, since a woman would not be out alone after dark looking
for fruit. She can only explain herself by remaining tightly enclosed
within her American identity and sticking to the English language.
2. His face
darkened with shame at having his pleasure aroused in public by
one of his daughters. He looked from one to the other. His gaze
faltered. On the face of his youngest was the brilliant, impassive
look he remembered from when she had snatched her love letters out
of his hands.
In Chapter 2,
Carlos and Sofia attempt to reconcile their differences during his
birthday party. Yet Sofia feels slighted by how her father treats
her other sisters, and she decides to humiliate him during a party
game. A seductive kiss in the ear leads to his shame and anger. The
moment when she snatched back her love letters was the moment that
led to the family rift, so the fact that Sofia continues to wear
her brilliant and impassive look indicates that there has been no
reconciliation. This look shows her pride in displaying her sexual independence
from her father, and her unwillingness to feel the shame he insists
is appropriate.
3. The words
tumble out, making a sound like the rumble of distant thunder, taking
shape, depth, and substance. Yo continues: "Doc, rock, smock, luck,"
so many words. There is no end to what can be said about the world.
After Yolanda's stay in the mental hospital
in Chapter 3, she begins to reclaim language
and its meanings. Following the period when she could only quote
or misquote things she had read or heard, she is able to label objects
and play word games. By rhyming and naming, Yolanda regains the
ability to use language and convey meaning. This moment signals
a recovery from her mental breakdown. Her realization that there
are limitless things to be said about the world indicates an artistic
as well as emotional healing has taken place. She is prepared to
write to a broader audience, as well as communicate with the people
she loves and cares about.
4. So, Laura
thinks. So the papers have cleared and we are leaving. Now everything
she sees sharpens as if through the lens of loss - the orchids in
their hanging straw baskets, the row of apothecary jars Carlos has
found for her in old druggists' throughout the countryside, the
rich light shafts swarming with a golden pollen. She will miss this
glorious light warming the inside of her skin and jewelling the
trees, the grass, the lily pond beyond the hedge.
The moment when Laura realizes that
she and her family will leave the Dominican Republic for an indefinite
period of time signals a dramatic and traumatic transition. The
proximity of this turning point leads her to view her surroundings
in suddenly different ways. The details of her home that previously
hid in the background of her perceptions come forward to occupy
her attention. The light and plants, which will be different in
the United States, come to have a significance that fixes itself
permanently into her consciousness. During the moment when she prepares
for change, Laura focuses on the essence of what she loves most
about the Dominican Republic, the light that contributes to a distinctive
sense of place.
5. There
are still times I wake up at three o'clock in the morning and peer
into the darkness. At that hour and in that loneliness, I hear her,
a black furred thing lurking in the corners of my life, her magenta
mouth opening, wailing over some violation that lies at the center
of my art.
The cat that continues to appear in
Yolanda's dreams represents her home, the Dominican Republic, which
reproaches her for leaving. This psychological distress unfolds
into further traumas, which can be traced back to her being uprooted
from the Dominican Republic, her culture, and her extended family
at a very young age. This passage concludes the novel, indicating
that this haunting is the root and simultaneous conclusion of her
sense of violation. This violation stems from her experience as
a child immigrant, and becomes the focus of her creative endeavors
and her mature understanding of her cultural and personal identity.
Her writing and poetry will center on the haunting that begins with
the black cat and continues throughout her adult life as she struggles
to incorporate the past into her plans for the future.
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