Island of the Blue Dolphins Memory and the Past Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Yet I do remember the day that I decided I would never live in the village again. (9.1)

Why does Karana burn down the village? Why is it full of ghosts for her?

Quote #5

Yet I cannot say that I was really afraid as I stood there on the shore. I knew that my ancestors had crossed the sea in their canoes, coming from that place which lay beyond. Kimki too had crossed the sea. I was not nearly so skilled with a canoe as these men, but I must say that whatever might befall me on the endless waters did not trouble me. It meant far less than the thought of staying on the island alone, without a home or companions, pursued by wild dogs, where everything reminded me of those who were dead and those who had gone away. (10.9)

The distant past gives Karana the strength to take the journey across the sea. However, it's the recent past that pushes her to go on the trip.

Quote #6

There was a legend among our people that the island had once been covered with tall trees. This was a long time ago, at the beginning of the world when Tumaiyowit and Mukat ruled. The two gods quarreled about many things. Tumaiyowit wished people to die. Mukat did not. Tumaiyowit angrily went down, down to another world under this world, taking his belongings with him, so people die because he did. (12.8)

What's the significance of the island's legendary gods? What do they symbolize?