How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"That is very smart, too," said Caleb. He looked up at Sarah. "We do not have the sea here." Sarah turned and looked out over the plains.
"No," she said. "There is no sea here. But the land rolls a little like the sea." (3.42-44)
Even though she's prepared for the change in scenery, it's still hard for Sarah to be so far away from the sea. She tries to find substitutes in everything—even the way that the plains roll.
Quote #5
"In Maine," said Sarah, "there are rock cliffs that rise up at the edge of the sea. And there are hills covered with pine and spruce trees, green with needles. But William and I found a sand dune all our own. It was soft and sparkling with bits of mica, and when we were little we would slide down the dune into the water." (5.8)
Because the kids have never been to the sea—or anywhere other than the place where they've grown up—Sarah tries to describe her hometown in great detail, attempting to paint a picture with her words.
Quote #6
Next to the barn was Papa's mound of hay for bedding, nearly as tall as the barn, covered with canvas to keep the rain from rotting it. Papa carried the wooden ladder from the barn and leaned it against the hay.
"There." He smiled at Sarah. "Our dune." (5.15-16)
There may be no sand dunes in the Midwest, but Jacob tries to create an adequate substitute for Sarah anyway. He makes her a hay "dune" so she won't feel so sad and homesick.