The elevator operator in Richard’s building in Memphis (where he works at the second optometry shop), Shorty is willing to participate in racial prejudice—acting as a caricature of a black man for white entertainment—in order to gain small amounts of change from white elevator-riders. Although Richard criticizes Shorty for this, Shorty says only that he needs the money and doesn’t mind making fun of himself.
Shorty Quotes in Black Boy
The Black Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Shorty or refer to Shorty. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
How in God’s name can you do that?
I needed a quarter, and I got it.
But a quarter can’t pay you for what he did to you.
. . . My ass is tough and quarters is scarce.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Black Boy LitChart as a printable PDF.
Shorty Quotes in Black Boy
The Black Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Shorty or refer to Shorty. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
How in God’s name can you do that?
I needed a quarter, and I got it.
But a quarter can’t pay you for what he did to you.
. . . My ass is tough and quarters is scarce.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
