How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Arrietty saw him scurry across the sunlit floor. Swiftly he ran—as a mouse runs or a blown dry leaf—and suddenly she saw him as "small." "But," she told herself, "he isn't small. He's a head taller than mother…" (7.28)
Arrietty always looked up to her parents—they were definitely the biggest things in her sheltered world. But now, upstairs, she sees just how small they really are.
Quote #2
"That's what grows the moss," thought Arrietty as she sped back to her father, "all the water we empty through the grating…" (8.20)
Arrietty would definitely win first prize at the science fair. And her willingness to explore and try to figure out unanswered questions is also a major factor in her coming of age throughout the novel.
Quote #3
Arrietty froze. "So this is it," she thought, "the worst and most terrible thing of all: I have been 'seen'! Whatever happened to Eggletina will now, almost certainly, happen to me!"
There was a pause and Arrietty, her heart pounding in her ears, heard the breath again drawn swiftly into the vast lungs. (9.3-4)
A huge part about coming of age is facing the unknown and making decisions about it for yourself. That's just what Arrietty is starting to do here.
Quote #4
Suddenly Arrietty became calm. "Why?" she asked. How strange her own voice sounded! Crystal thin and harebell clear, it tinkled on the air. (9.5)
And here is where Arrietty's all, wait a minute. My parents don't have all the answers. Okay, so she's been seen, which is potentially pretty dangerous. But Eggletina disappeared because she got eaten by a cat. And all of a sudden, Arrietty realizes that being seen and being eaten by a cat are two very different things.
Quote #5
"What does Mrs. D. look like?" asked Arrietty. (How delicious it was to say "Mrs. D." like that… how careless and daring!) (10.3)
Arrietty has always been taught to refer to "Mrs. Driver" by her full name—so the newfound familiarity with which the boy talks about her, calling her "Mrs. D.," seems really thrilling, maybe because it puts her on a more equal footing with the adults in her life.
Quote #6
She stood up startled and spun round: there was Pod, moon-faced, on the path looking up at her. "Come on down!" he whispered.
She stared at him for a moment as though she did not recognize him; how round his face was, how kind, how familiar! (10.61-62)
Out there in the great unknown, even the most familiar things (or people) can look totally different—even your own pops.
Quote #7
Tea was indeed ready, waiting on the round table in the sitting room with a bright fire burning in the cogwheel. How familiar the room seemed, and homely, but, suddenly, somehow strange. (11.2)
Have you ever returned home from a trip and for a second—just a split second—your own home looks a little unfamiliar? The house didn't change—you did. Arrietty's character has certainly grown since she went borrowing with her father, and now everything takes on a new look.
Quote #8
The firelight flickering on the wallpaper […] read: "… it would be so charming if—" If what? Arrietty always wondered. If our house were less dark, she thought, that would be charming. (11.2)
Arrietty was never really critical of her home before, but that's because she didn't know what she was missing. Now that she does, her home seems dark, cramped, and a whole lot less like home.
Quote #9
Arrietty stared at the eye. "I'm not going to tell you," she said at last bravely.
"Then I'll hit you with my ash stick!"
"All right," said Arrietty, "hit me!" (9.12-14)
You go girl. Arrietty is totally not the meek and mild girl we thought she was. She's got courage coming out her ears. Maybe all that courage comes from her new experiences outside the house, where she discovers she can stand up for herself, and do her own thing.
Quote #10
"They are frightened," Arrietty realized; "they are not angry at all—they are very, very frightened." She moved forward. "It's all right—" she began. (14.9)
This moment seals the deal: our little girl is growing up, big time. Instead of being afraid because her parents seem angry, Arrietty realizes that her parents are frightened themselves. And she tries to comfort them, to boot. Oh, how the tables have turned.