How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
John Greenleaf Whittier said she was the only girl he knew who could conduct a serious discussion of the latest North American Review while scrubbing her mother's floor. (1.1.45)
Susan is not the kind of person who can be defined by a stereotype. On the one hand, she's a proud intellectual, someone who values the power of the mind above all else. On the other, she's more than willing to get her hands dirty in order to get things done. This multifaceted personality will prove to be an asset once she moves out to the wild American West.
Quote #2
There is a certain boldness about her; she strikes me as refusing to be put in any subordinate position. (1.3.48)
Do you think this passage is describing Susan? If you answered yes to that question, you'd be dead wrong—it's actually a quote from Lyman about Shelly. Isn't it interesting that the same qualities he prizes in his grandmother he dislikes in his assistant?
Quote #3
She had a tough and unswerving dedication to her art. She might even have accepted spinsterhood as the price of her career. (1.4.10)
Susan is a career woman at heart. This is a really forward-thinking mindset, especially when you realize that Susan was born in the 1800s. Regardless, it's clear to Susan from an early age that she'll never be happy unless she can dedicate her life to her art.