How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Matthew, our neighbor to the south, had written to ask for a wife and mother for his children. And Maggie had come from Tennessee. Her hair was the color of turnips and she laughed. (1.47)
Sarah isn't the only character who wasn't born and raised on the plains. Their neighbor Maggie is also a mail order bride who came from afar—worry not, though, she's grown accustomed to her new home.
Quote #2
I have always loved to live by the sea, but at this time I feel a move is necessary. And the truth is, the sea is as far east as I can go. My choice, as you can see, is limited. This should not be taken as an insult. I am strong and I work hard and am willing to travel. But I am not mild mannered. If you should still care to write, I would be interested in your children and about where you live. (1.50)
In her letters, Sarah is completely honest about how hard it will be for her to leave the sea. She doesn't mean to insult where they live, but she doesn't think anything can compare to living by the ocean.
Quote #3
Your house sounds lovely, even though it is far out in the country with no close neighbors. My house is tall and the shingles are gray because of the salt from the sea. There are roses nearby. (2.11)
Even Sarah's house in Maine is different from the Witting family home. The landscape shapes the shingles on the roof, and the kinds of plants that grow in Maine are different than those that flower in the Midwest.
Quote #4
"That is very smart, too," said Caleb. He looked up at Sarah. "We do not have the sea here." Sarah turned and looked out over the plains.
"No," she said. "There is no sea here. But the land rolls a little like the sea." (3.42-44)
Even though she's prepared for the change in scenery, it's still hard for Sarah to be so far away from the sea. She tries to find substitutes in everything—even the way that the plains roll.
Quote #5
"In Maine," said Sarah, "there are rock cliffs that rise up at the edge of the sea. And there are hills covered with pine and spruce trees, green with needles. But William and I found a sand dune all our own. It was soft and sparkling with bits of mica, and when we were little we would slide down the dune into the water." (5.8)
Because the kids have never been to the sea—or anywhere other than the place where they've grown up—Sarah tries to describe her hometown in great detail, attempting to paint a picture with her words.
Quote #6
Next to the barn was Papa's mound of hay for bedding, nearly as tall as the barn, covered with canvas to keep the rain from rotting it. Papa carried the wooden ladder from the barn and leaned it against the hay.
"There." He smiled at Sarah. "Our dune." (5.15-16)
There may be no sand dunes in the Midwest, but Jacob tries to create an adequate substitute for Sarah anyway. He makes her a hay "dune" so she won't feel so sad and homesick.
Quote #7
"'Dear William,'" Sarah read to us by lantern light that night. "'Sliding down our dune of hay is almost as fine as sliding down the sand dunes into the sea.'" (5.28)
Sarah doesn't just try to bring the sea to the Witting family; she tries to explain to her brother what the prairie is like too. She wants to share both worlds with the people that she loves.
Quote #8
"And is there wind?" she asked.
"Do you like wind?" asked Caleb.
"There is wind by the sea," said Sarah.
"There is wind here," said Caleb happily. (6.20-23)
Well, there are some commonalities between Maine and the Midwest after all. Caleb is delighted to discover one thing that Sarah won't miss out on by living with them: the wind.
Quote #9
Sarah smiled. "I had a garden in Maine with dahlias and columbine. And nasturtiums the color of the sun when it sets. I don't know if nasturtiums would grow here."
"Try," said Maggie. "You must have a garden." (7.28-29)
Sarah might not be able to have the exact same plants in her new garden (thanks to the different climate and all), but Maggie tells her to grow one anyway. It will still be her garden, just a bit different than what she's used to.
Quote #10
"In Maine," said Sarah, "I would walk to town."
"Here it is different," said Maggie. "Here you will drive." (7.40-41)
It's not just the climate and landscape that are different—Sarah is also used to walking into town from her house and having neighbors close by. In the Midwest, though, the homes are more spread apart and Sarah will have to learn how to drive a wagon if she wants to go into town.