How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Another widow was curled up there, still asleep. I shivered at the sight and gave thanks for a roof over my head. As I hurried by, I looked for the half-starved child who had stood there watching me eat. I still held my breakfast chapati and would gladly have given it to her. (9.4)
When Koly first comes to the city, she's homeless, jobless, and (almost) penniless. Pretty quickly, though, she discovers there are many who are way worse off than she is, and this encourages her to work hard to change her situation. Before she knows it, she has herself a home again.
Quote #8
One evening Raji came to the courtyard while I was reading the poem about the homeless bird. He sat in the far corner of the courtyard munching some leftovers Maa had given him and listening to the poem, a dreamy expression on his face. (9.17)
Koly is just like the bird, persevering against all odds and traveling from place to place in hopes of eventually finding a home. We have way more to say about this over in the "Symbols" section, though, so check it out.
Quote #9
"The unhappy boy ran away to Vrindavan to find his maa. He got a job as a helper to an iron-monger. […] My baap, who was now a young man, had an idea that if the drill were made in a certain way, it would be more effective. And so it was. He began to make such drills, and soon they were sold all over India, and he became rich." (10.9)
Mrs. Devi tells Koly her own family history, which features a perseverance success story, and Koly realizes that many people have endured hardship in their lives. The best option is to rise above it.