Youth Quotes in The Red Tent

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"Look at how the babes lead the bigger boys by the nose! Wait until we tell our father that Zebulun and Dan are donkeys for the bare-behinds." (2.1.10)

And here is a minor example of bullying: Simon and Levi jeer at Dan and Zebulun for playing with their younger siblings, ultimately pressuring them into doing more "manly" things. Does anything similar happen among the girls?

Quote #5

I did not matter to her the way she mattered to me. I wanted to cry, but I realized that I was too old for that. I would be a woman soon and I would have to learn how to live with a divided heart. (2.1.60)

Dinah's story is a coming-of-age story, and part of that coming-of-age story is Dinah's realization that she isn't the focus of everyone's life. Once she figures that out, she can actually start to become an adult.

Quote #6

I felt misused and ignored, but no one noticed when I brooded, so I stopped feeling sorry for myself and did as I was told. (2.2.43)

Again, Dinah's spoiled tendencies cause her to remain a child for longer than most girls of her time. Given that youth and childhood are pretty short at this time, is this longer youth good for Dinah, or bad?