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Lou Ann Ruiz
Taylor’s boss at the tire repair shop that Mattie owns in Tucson. Mattie is good with children and helps Taylor find confidence as a new mother. Taylor later finds out that Mattie is highly involved in the Sanctuary Movement that helped provide resources and shelter for Central American immigrants seeking asylum in the United States, including Estevan and Esperanza. Mattie, as a business owner and member of the Sanctuary Movement, is a powerful woman, and becomes a mentor and member of the women-centric community that Taylor becomes a part of.
Mattie Quotes in The Bean Trees
The The Bean Trees quotes below are all either spoken by Mattie or refer to Mattie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
I wasn’t really afraid, but there is something about seeing a snake that makes your stomach tighten, no matter how you make up your mind to feel about it. “Fair’s fair,” Mattie pointed out, as we skirted a wide path around the tree. “Everybody’s got her own mouths to feed.”
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Chapter 13
Quotes
“You're asking yourself, Can I give this child the best possible upbringing and keep her out of harm's way her whole life long? The answer is no, you can't. But nobody else can either… Nobody can protect a child from the world. That's why it's the wrong thing to ask, if you're really trying to make a decision.”
“So what's the right thing to ask?”
“Do I want to try? Do I think it would be interesting, maybe even enjoyable in the long run, to share my life with this kid and give her my best effort and maybe, when all's said and done, end up with a good friend.”
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Mattie Quotes in The Bean Trees
The The Bean Trees quotes below are all either spoken by Mattie or refer to Mattie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
I wasn’t really afraid, but there is something about seeing a snake that makes your stomach tighten, no matter how you make up your mind to feel about it. “Fair’s fair,” Mattie pointed out, as we skirted a wide path around the tree. “Everybody’s got her own mouths to feed.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13
Quotes
“You're asking yourself, Can I give this child the best possible upbringing and keep her out of harm's way her whole life long? The answer is no, you can't. But nobody else can either… Nobody can protect a child from the world. That's why it's the wrong thing to ask, if you're really trying to make a decision.”
“So what's the right thing to ask?”
“Do I want to try? Do I think it would be interesting, maybe even enjoyable in the long run, to share my life with this kid and give her my best effort and maybe, when all's said and done, end up with a good friend.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
