How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Mother was Father's equal," I say coolly. "He didn't expect her to walk behind him like some pining imbecile." (3.33)
Gemma has a strong sense of self-worth and a good foundation of equality from her parents. Even though they still got along in the social system set up for the English, they also seem to have recognized some of its problems—at least, this is what Gemma took away from her childhood.
Quote #5
Right now, with that lock of hair falling in his eyes, he's the brother I've missed, the one who once brought me stones from the sea, told me they were Rajah's jewels. I want to tell him that I'm afraid I'm going mad by degrees and that nothing seems entirely real to me anymore. I want to tell him about the vision […] I want to tell him everything and have him understand. (3.42)
Sometimes family is the only comfort when you are feeling alone and scared. Gemma wants her brother to be there for her—she needs him to be—but he can't. He just doesn't get it.
Quote #6
My family is vaguely Anglican, like everyone else, but the truth is that we rarely went to church in India. On Sundays, Mother took me for picnics under hot, cloudless skies. We'd sit on a blanket and listen to the wind whip across dry land, whistling to us.
"This is our church," she'd say combing fingers through my hair. (5.58-59)
Families give us our world view and values, at least until we are old enough to choose for ourselves. Gemma's mother gave her the gift of spiritual freedom from the beginning. How might this have impacted her character?