Surfacing Religion Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

The white doll-house-sized church above on the rock hillside is neglected, peeling paint and a broken window, the old priest must be gone. What I mean is dead. (2.10)

The church and Catholicism aren't necessarily portrayed in the most positive (or reverent) light in the novel, and this early reference to the crumbling church and the "old priest" (who's probably dead) paints a picture of religion in decay in her home region.

Quote #2

The old priest is definitely gone, he disapproved of slacks, the women had to wear long concealing skirts and dark stockings and keep their arms covered in church. (3.2)

Apparently the "old priest" was pretty old fashioned and looked to women and their fashion choices to help safeguard the morality of his flock. Again, we get an image of the priest's brand of Catholicism as being pretty outdated (and hostile to women).

Quote #3

This arm devoid of a hand was for me a great mystery, almost as puzzling as Jesus. (3.11)

Here the narrator is remembering a shopkeeper in town who was missing a hand. There are several references to Jesus and religion, and the narrator's desire as a child to participate in and understand Catholic ritual. She does not appear to be Christian per se, but Christian ideas and figures flow through a lot of her thoughts and perceptions about the world around her, including nature (which is really the only truly "holy" thing to her, it seems).