Quote 4
"It's wonderful here in the woods," Miss Wilcox said, swerving to avoid a squirrel. "Such freedom! You can do whatever you like and no one minds." No, but how they talk! I thought. Glean, my word of the day that day, is a good word. It is old and small, not showy. It has a simple meaning—to gather after the reapers—and then meanings inside the meanings, like images in a prism. It is a farming word, but it fits people other than farmers. Aunt Josie never bent her back in a field one day in her life, but she is a gleaner. She combs other people's leavings—hints, hearsay, dropped words—looking for nuggets of information, trying to gather enough bits together to make a whole story. (22.glean.25-27)
This is the crux of life in a small town: everyone gets all up in your business. Gossip runs rampant, secrets are impossible, and Aunt Josie is the manifestation of all of these meddling traits. Miss Wilcox hasn't yet realized that even though there are striking differences between rural and urban life, social rules and restrictions exist in both of them. And often, these rules and restrictions are far more similar than different.
Quote 5
"He says you are obscene. And when Comstock says something, the entire country listens. You are doing grievous injury to the names of Wilcox and Baxter, Emily. I will seek help for you if you refuse to seek it yourself."
"Meaning what, Teddy?"
"My meaning is perfectly clear."
"No, it damn well isn't! Have some guts for once in your life! Say what you mean!"
"You leave me no choice, Emily. If you do not come home—on my conditions—I will sign you over to a doctor's care." (25.malediction.16-20)
As Mattie overhears the conversation between Miss Wilcox and her husband Theodore, the importance of name and reputation, as well as the power held by men, becomes clear. Teddy is far more concerned for his reputation than he is with his wife's desires. Plus we see that social pressures exist not just in small communities but on larger national scales as well.