How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"You're the year of the monkey. I can tell it just looking at you. What a great deal of water you have! Eight, white; the planet Saturn. And an attractive girl you are. Come closer." (2.54)
The Chinese zodiac, used by the Japanese geisha, is something that's taken very seriously.
Quote #5
We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course. (9.2)
A lot is made about Chiyo being full of water. No, it's not because of any bladder issues, and it isn't simply because her eyes are an icy blue, either. It has to do with her element, which affects her future…if you're superstitious about such a thing. And the geisha are.
Quote #6
I'm not sure if this will make sense to you, but I felt as though I'd turned around to look in a different direction, so that I no longer faced backward toward the past, but forward toward the future. And now the question confronting me was this: What would that future be? (9.8)
What would the future be? Unfortunately, the geisha's precious almanac only tells them what days are good days and bad days to try certain actions. It doesn't tell them exactly how to live their lives, so their fates remain uncertain.