How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"You are loud and pesky," I told him. But I was worried, too. Sarah loved the sea. I could tell. Maybe she wouldn't leave there after all to come where there were fields and grass and sky and not much else. (2.6)
Caleb and Anna are already worried about Sarah leaving before she even gets to their home. They obviously both have a lot riding on her arrival—and the possibility that they'll have a mother again.
Quote #2
"What if she comes and doesn't like our house?" Caleb asked. "I told her it was small. Maybe I shouldn't have told her it was small."
"Hush, Caleb. Hush." (2.7-8)
Anna struggles to provide a voice of reason for Caleb and assure him that everything will be all right because she's scared, too. She doesn't like the idea of Sarah deciding not to stay either.
Quote #3
In a month's time the preacher might come to marry Sarah and Papa. And a month was a long time. Time enough for her to change her mind and leave us. (3.45)
Although there's the possibility for great happiness at the end of this journey—in the form of a big prairie wedding—Anna and Caleb are more focused on their anxieties about Sarah leaving.
Quote #4
"The roses will bloom in early summer," I told Sarah. I looked to see if she knew what I was thinking. Summer was when the wedding would be. Might be. Sarah and Papa's wedding. (4.10)
Anna is determined to see the good signs, like the fact that Sarah is putting up flowers so there will be color in the house when winter comes. But she still feels uncertain and afraid of Sarah's decision.
Quote #5
"It looks high up," he said. "Are you scared, Sarah?"
"Scared? Scared!" exclaimed Sarah. "You bet I'm not scared." (5.18-19)
Sarah's not scared of too much—after all, she's traveled across the country to meet (and possibly marry) a man she doesn't know. Jumping off of a hay dune isn't going to frighten her at all.
Quote #6
Do not miss the hills, Maggie, I thought.
"I miss the sea," said Sarah.
Do not miss the hills. Do not miss the sea. (7.15-17)
When Anna overhears Sarah and Maggie talking about how much they miss their old homes, she's frozen with terror. She doesn't want Maggie to remind Sarah of her hometown and what she's missing out on.
Quote #7
"I can teach you how to drive a wagon. I have already taught you how to plow."
"And then I can go to town. By myself."
"Say no, Papa," Caleb whispered beside me. (8.13-15)
Caleb thinks that by keeping Sarah at home all the time, he can assuage his fears—she won't leave them if she can't find a way to get out of the house. But he has to trust Sarah to make her decision, whatever it might be.
Quote #8
"Why does she want to go to town by herself?" asked Caleb. "To leave us?"
I shook my head, weary with Caleb's questions. Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes. But there was no time to cry, for suddenly Papa called out. (8.27-28)
Anna wants to protect Caleb, but his constant questions set her fears and worries in motion, too. She wants to cry when Caleb starts asking about Sarah leaving them, because she fears the exact same thing. She just doesn't want to say it.
Quote #9
A few raindrops came, gentle at first, then stronger and louder, so that Caleb and I covered our ears and stared at each other without speaking. Caleb looked frightened and I tried to smile at him. Sarah carried a sack into the barn, her hair wet and streaming down her neck, Papa came behind, Lottie and Nick with him, their ears flat against their heads. (8.33)
The squall scares the children and animals, but Sarah and Jacob remain brave and calm—just like parents should. They settle everyone down in the barn and make it homey so the children forget their fears.
Quote #10
"I could get sick and make her stay here," said Caleb.
"No."
We could tie her up."
"No."
And Caleb began to cry, and I took him inside the barn where we could both cry. (7.7-11)
After Sarah rides off on the wagon by herself, the kids can no longer pretend they're not scared—they immediately start freaking out and crying because they believe she's gone forever.