The Bean Trees Mattie Quotes

Mattie > Taylor Greer

Quote 1

Signatory to the United Nations something-something on human rights, Mattie was saying, and that means we have a legal obligation to take in people whose lives are in danger. (7.104)

Although Mattie argues that the U.S. has a legal obligation to take in refugees, she also believes that every individual has a moral obligation to assist those who are suffering, and whose lives are threatened by danger. She makes the legal argument because she knows it has broader appeal: it's harder to convince someone of their moral responsibility than it is to prove their legal obligation. And even if Taylor can barely can wrap her head around the legal side of the argument, she sure gets her chops as far as the morality stuff's concerned.