Hey, I didn’t even want to be a lady.
-- Starla (Chapter 2 paragraph 2)

Importance: When the novel begins, Starla expresses her rebelliousness and unwillingness to listen to her grandmother. Starla is very much a child and merely wants to run around and have fun. She rebels against her grandmother’s strict ways, and can’t see that her grandmother doesn’t want her to turn out like Lulu. Starla will only realize this later on.

Trouble was, I didn’t know how to get to Nashville, or even what direction I was headed exactly.
-- Starla (Chapter 2 paragraph 58)

Importance: When Starla decides to run away from home, she has no idea which way to go. This quote is loaded with important symbolism. The directions Starla is seeking to Nashville also reflect the directions she is seeking in life. She has the choice to end up like her mother, or to end up like a better person. Starla’s current...