In Spanish our voices are much more violent because the hatred comes from the gut, not from the schools of our adopted language.
-- Gonzalez as the Narrator (chapter 1 paragraph 30)

Importance: This quote reveals information about Gonzalez's character. Even though he was born in the United States, lives and studies there now, and lived there growing up, he is first and foremost Mexican. This is his culture and it is through the language of this culture that he is best able to express his true feelings.

I will not fight with my father. I will not long for my lover. I will forgive my father. I will forget my lover.
-- Gonzalez as the Narrator (chapter 2 paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote depicts the tension Gonzalez feels between the two worlds that define him and shows how he is running from one world to the other, hoping to have better luck at home than he is having in the life he has chosen away from his family.

What...
-- Gonzalez as the Narrator (chapter 2 paragraph 9)