Significant Quotes #1

Okay so here are some significant quotes from the reading I described in my last post:

"The door handle rattled. Matt squatted on the floor, his heart pounding. Someone put his face against the window, cupping his hands to see through the gloom. Matt froze. He had wanted company, but this was happening too quickly. He felt like Pedro el Conejo in Senor MacGregor's garden." (pg 9) This quote is when Matt is still living in Celia's little home in the poppy fields. It is the beginning of Matt's long adventure. It is after this that he jumps out the window and the children bring him to the Big House. If not for this event, the story would not take place.

"The man leaned forward and whispered into her [Rosa's] ear. A look of horror crossed Rosa''s face. She instantly scooped up Matt and ran...Rosa hurried down the steps and dumped Matt roughly onto the lawn. Without a word, she turned and fled back to the house." (pg 24) This quote is the first time that the reader discovers that Matt is different. Rosa is the maid that essentially tortures Matt for three years, leaving him in solitary confinement in the basement of El Patron's house. In this scene, the children bring Matt to the house, and Rosa is treating his wounds when the man whispers something to her, and she throws him out.

"'Matt's a clone," said Steven. Emilia gasped. 'He can't be! He doesn't - I've seen clones. They're horrible! They drool and mess their pants. They make animal noises.' 'This one's different. Benito told me. Technicians are supposed to destroy the minds at birth - it's the law. But El Patron wanted his to grow up like a real boy. He's so rich, he can break any law he wants.'" The children go on talking about clones and how disgusting they are. This kind of sets the scene for the whole book, and is an introduction to why Matt is treated like he is. He is an animal, but he must be respected because he is property of El Patron, and the old man loves him. Anyone who touches Matt would be in serious trouble.

"Matt smiled. He likes El Patron instinctively. There was something so right about the way the old man looked. His eyes were a good color. Matt didn't know why it was s good, only that it was." In this scene, Matt first meets El Patron. El Patron is one of the only people Matt knows who actually likes him, and when the old man's health begins to decline, Matt is constantly at his side. This is the beginning of a very strange relationship, because there is a love between the two, but El Patron still views Matt as a clone, not a human.