How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"But what between the poor men I won't have, and the rich men who won't have me, I stand forlorn as a pelican in the wilderness." (9.52)
Bathsheba's servant Maryann wishes she were married. The problem is that she's only interested in marrying into a higher social class, and none of the men from this class want to marry her. There are plenty of men from lower classes who do, but she won't have anything to do with them.
Quote #2
"He wasn't quite good enough for me." (9.57)
When asked whether she has ever received a marriage proposal, Bathsheba admits that she once has. But she refused the proposal because she was too good for the man. The man she's talking about, of course, is Gabriel Oak, and by the end of this book, she'll come running back into his arms, because he's like the best guy ever. But this passage shows how much Bathsheba's pride in her class position can affect her major life decisions.
Quote #3
"All will be ruined and ourselves too, or there's no meat in gentlemen's houses!" (15.17)
The "or there's no meat in gentlemen's houses" part of this quote is said to mean the untrue and unfathomable, because there is always meat in rich men's houses. The guy who says this may have well said "or I'm a monkey's uncle" or "or water is dry." For working men the divide between the rich and poor is just a fact of life.