How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Eilis thought, as she sat down with a glass of sherry in her hand, that it could have been a parish hall anywhere in Ireland on the night of concert. (2.239)
Eilis doesn't only get spiritual fulfilment from Father Flood's church—she gets a community. Although she may be far away from home, being among so many rowdy Irishmen gives her a small but powerful connection to her home country. This makes a huge difference.
Quote #8
Eilis loved her room, loved putting her books at the table opposite the window when she came in at night and [...] spending an hour [...] looking over the lecture notes. (3.156)
It takes a long time, but Eilis eventually feels at home in Mrs. Kehoe's boarding house. Of course, it helps that she scores the best room in the building, a secluded basement perfect for late-night studying or—uh—other late-night activities. Either way, it's a big step for Eilis that she's finally looking at Brooklyn as a home, rather than a prison.
Quote #9
Her mother showed Eilis Rose's bedroom [...] She had left everything, she said, exactly as it was, including all of Rose's clothes in the wardrobe and in the chest of drawers. (4.1)
That's... a little creepy. We shouldn't come down too hard on Mrs. Lacey, however, as losing a child is a pain that we can't even fathom—a little bit of irrationality is par for the course in this context. Still, we're not sure if having an ever-present shrine to your deceased daughter is the most effective way to make peace with her memory.