How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Rich, then, this Kate de Vries. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, though, shackled to a chaperone and one like Miss Simpkins at that! (2.98)
Is she shackled with the lame chaperone because she's rich, or because she's a girl? Do you think a boy would be stuck with someone following his every move making sure what he's doing is appropriate? Yeah, neither do we.
Quote #2
Our suggestion to you would be to put your grandfather's writings out of your mind and turn your interests elsewhere, to more comfortable young ladies' pursuits.
"Did you get to the 'young ladies' pursuits' part?" she demanded.
"Just now, yes."
"I suppose they mean darning socks and needlepoint or making iced butter balls for the dinner table." (5.96-99)
There is almost nothing more insulting to a feminist than insinuating that their interests lie outside the realm of respectability, particularly because those "comfortable" pursuits are often restricted to activities that fall in the domestic category. Just because Kate is a woman does not mean that she has any less of a right to pursue a career in academia, and she's going to prove it.
Quote #3
"The captain's a fair man."
"I'm sure he is. But you remember the letter they sent me, those important gentlemen from the Zoological Society. Turn your attention to more ladylike pursuits. They'd just take it away from me, and I won't put up with it. This is our discovery, Matt. If we tell them, they'll take it away from us. They'll treat us like children." (9.221-222)
It's interesting that here Kate juxtaposes her treatment as a woman with being treated like children. In a patriarchal society where women are second-class citizens, one way to keep them that way is to patronize and insult their efforts as not being good enough. If you are told over and over again that you can't be as good as a man, eventually you might come to believe that fallacy. It's a good thing that Kate is as stubborn as she is.