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Rorra
Carl is Francisco’s best friend when the boys are classmates in the fifth grade. Both of them collect coins, and one day, Carl invites Francisco home to show him his coin collection. Francisco has never been inside a house before and he is awed by the size and comforts of Carl’s home. When Carl says that he, too, would like to visit Francisco’s house to see his coin collection, Francisco tells him his house is too far away and that he will bring his collection to school to show it to him. However, that same weekend, Francisco’s family moves to another city to find work and he never sees Carl again. Francisco’s interactions with Carl show that Francisco is becoming more self-conscious about his family’s poverty as he grows older. After seeing Carl’s home, he is embarrassed about the one-room cabin that his family lives in, which is why he makes an excuse to avoid inviting Carl over. Despite this self-consciousness, Francisco likes people and easily makes friends, but his family’s constant moving makes it very difficult for him to hold on to his friends.
Carl Quotes in The Circuit
The The Circuit quotes below are all either spoken by Carl or refer to Carl. 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:
).
To Have and to Hold
Quotes
[…] Carl said, “When can I come to your house and see your collection?” His question took me by surprise. I never thought he would want to visit me at our home. And after seeing his house, I was not sure I wanted him to see where I lived. […]
After thinking of possible excuses, I finally said, “I live too far. I’ll bring my collection to school.” […]
I never got the chance to show Carl my collection. That weekend we moved to Five Points, and I never saw my friend again.
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I recalled the fire and placed my right hand over my shirt pocket. It was empty. Feeling a lump in my throat, I started thinking about Carl, my pennies, the house. Then, for a long time, I thought about my librito and what Mama said. I could see in my mind every word, every number, every rule, I had written in my note pad. I knew everything in it by heart. Mama was right. It was not all lost.
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Carl Quotes in The Circuit
The The Circuit quotes below are all either spoken by Carl or refer to Carl. 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:
).
To Have and to Hold
Quotes
[…] Carl said, “When can I come to your house and see your collection?” His question took me by surprise. I never thought he would want to visit me at our home. And after seeing his house, I was not sure I wanted him to see where I lived. […]
After thinking of possible excuses, I finally said, “I live too far. I’ll bring my collection to school.” […]
I never got the chance to show Carl my collection. That weekend we moved to Five Points, and I never saw my friend again.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I recalled the fire and placed my right hand over my shirt pocket. It was empty. Feeling a lump in my throat, I started thinking about Carl, my pennies, the house. Then, for a long time, I thought about my librito and what Mama said. I could see in my mind every word, every number, every rule, I had written in my note pad. I knew everything in it by heart. Mama was right. It was not all lost.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
