Is it… an observation about life? Not a symbol, but a statement about the condition of something in the world.

someone/something that represents a larger group? Not a symbol, but close; someone or something that represents people or things like that in life.

a symbol? This is something that stands for some abstract idea, or some idea or thing that is larger—but not the same as—the thing in the book.

This is a passage or idea from the book. Tell whether it’s an observation about life, a representation, or a symbol. Then, tell something about what it means.	Observation?	Representation?	Symbol?	In this column, tell something(s) important about the passage. What is the observation about life being made? OR… What does this character or thing represent? OR… What is the character or thing a symbol of? (The thing may fit in more than one category, but probably not all three.)
Tires…tires that get cars from place to place…tires that might explode if you’re not careful…tires Taylor learns not to be afraid of… “One thing I can tell you right now about tires: they’re dirty business.” (Ch. 10)
“‘Even bad luck brings good things…Do you know, I spent the first half of my life avoiding motherhood and tires, and now I’m counting them as blessings.’” (Ch. 10)
“I looked through the bones to the garden on the other side. There was a cactus with bushy arms and a coat of yellow spines as thick as fur. A bird had built her nest in it. In and out she flew among the horrible spiny branches, never once hesitating. You just couldn’t imagine how she’d made a home in there.” (Ch. 8)
“‘I look like…death warmed over. Like something the cat puked up.’ I wanted the mirror to talk back, to say, ‘Shush, you do not,’ but naturally it just mouthed the same words back at her…Lou Ann needed a DAMN I’M GOOD mirror.” (Ch. 7)
Turtle’s way of clinging on to people with her little fist. “The most amazing thing was the way that child held on.” (Ch. 1)
The bottle of Tug Fork water that Angel pours down the sink. (Ch. 4)
Mattie’s garden… “Heads of cabbage and lettuce sprouted out of old tires. An entire rusted-out Thunderbird, minus the wheels, had nasturtiums blooming out of the windows…” (Ch. 3)
Fei, “spelled F-E-I,” the vegetarian who wears a sarong, serves alfalfa tea, and asks what kind of “space” Taylor is “envisioning” for herself. (Ch. 5)
The wisteria vines… “You couldn’t imagine where all this life was coming from…flowers out of bare dirt. The Miracle of Dog Doo Park.” (Ch. 8)
Fanny Heaven, the business in the neighborhood with GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS and TOTAL NUDITY.
The cross above the fireplace in Mattie’s house at Jesus is Lord Used Tires… “a big cross made up of hundreds of small, brightly glazed pieces of tile, each one shaped like something: a boy, a dog, a house, a palm tree, a bright blue fish. Together they all added up to a cross.” (Ch. 10)
Taylor’s words to Esperanza: “It’s terrible to lose somebody…I mean, I don’t know firsthand, but I can imagine it must be. But it’s also true that some people never have anybody to lose, and I think that’s got to be so much worse.” (Ch. 10)
Snowboots, Lou Ann’s cat, who thinks he has pooped on the rug, and tries to cover it up, even though he hasn’t pooped at all. (Ch. 5)
“I was reading a piece about earthquakes under the ocean. They cause giant waves, but in a ship you can’t feel it at all, it just rolls under you.” (Ch. 11)
The name Esperanza… “‘I think Esperanza’s a beautiful name. Estevan told me it means to wait, and also to hope. That in Spanish the same word means both things.’” (Ch. 10)