How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Supposedly, he had a great-great-grandfather who had stolen a pig from a one-legged Gypsy, and she put a curse on him and all his descendants. Stanley and his parents didn't believe in curses, of course, but whenever anything went wrong, it felt good to be able to blame someone. (3.11)
Hmm, we're not so sure about this one. The narrator tells us here that Stanley and his parents don't believe in the curse, but it sounds like do believe in it when they want to, right? Is this fair?
Quote #2
Kate Barlow didn't actually kiss Stanley's great-grandfather. That would have been really cool, but she only kissed the men she killed. Instead, she robbed him and left him stranded in the middle of the desert.
"He was lucky to have survived," Stanley's mother was quick to point out." (3.31-32)
Shmoop is all about looking at things from multiple perspectives. And that's exactly what Stanley's mom does here. The events of the first Stanley Yelnats' life (or anyone else's life for that matter) can actually be seen as either lucky or unlucky, depending on your point of view.
Quote #3
Stanley couldn't help but think that there was something special about the shoes, that they would somehow provide the key to his father's invention. It was too much of a coincidence to be a mere accident. Stanley felt like he was holding destiny's shoes. (6.30)
Stanley – philosopher that he is – always seems to be looking for meaning in the things that happen in his life. "Destiny," like the curse, gives him a way to understand things that are beyond his control.