Homeless Bird Marriage Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

By now my older brother might be married, and his wife would be living in the home of my parents. There would be no room for me. Somehow I would have to make my life here. (8.13)

Marriage brings families together, but it separates them as well. In Koly's culture, where the gal always goes and lives with the guy's family, there's no room for her in her own family anymore. But are there ways in which this is true in other cultures as well?

Quote #8

I found nothing to say to that. It was only natural that Raji should want a wife, but his words silenced me. I could only think how lucky a woman would be to be married to Raji; he was so kind and clever. (9.41)

When Raji tells her he wants a wife, Koly misunderstands him—she takes it to mean that he'll get married to someone other than her, when he's really telling her how much her cares about her. We'd also like to point out that Koly just assumes that Hari will want a wife to do all the chores around the house.

Quote #9

"I don't want to marry a handful of rupees. Can I come to my house at the end of a day in the fields and talk with rupees? Can I bring up my children with rupees for a mother to watch over them? […] I want to talk to my wife. I can talk to you." (11.15)

Oh, Raji—what a nice guy. He goes against tradition, opting to marry a socially-tainted widow because he loves her and letting society's ways fly by the wayside. He loves Koly, and he thinks that's the most important thing in marriage.