Women and Femininity Quotes in The Red Tent

I laughed until my sides ached. I smiled until my face hurt. It was good to be a woman! (2.6.25)

Well, it's all well and good until she's giving birth.

Although I had stopped worshipping my mothers as perfect creatures, I looked forward to those days with them and the other women who bled. (2.6.42)

Yeah, that's right, folks: these women actually enjoy menstruation, as it gives them a chance to bond. That's one way to look at it.

In the space of his years, my body had taken its full shape and my heart had grown in wisdom, for I understood what it was to be a mother. (3.2.2)

Dinah is a girl, then a woman, and then a mother. This third stage is where she gains her wisdom. Why does motherhood change so much for her?