How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I bite my bottom lip. Hard. I cannot cry. It will only make it worse. I close my eyes and start to pray, Please, God, please make everything better. What did I say, Apa yells. Slap. (9.23)
This book kind of has a complicated view of prayer. On one hand, it's a source of peace for Young Ju and her mother, but on the other hand, in instances like these, prayer (and maybe even God) totally does not help stop Apa from abusing them. So is there power in prayer? And if so, what kind of power is it? Something to ponder…
Quote #8
I sit in the front seat staring out the window, thinking about the time that Halmoni taught me to pray. Her hands folded on top of mine, her whispered words. Now that I'm older, I don't really believe there is someone listening to me. (21.14)
Here's Young Ju turning all psuedo-atheist on us. We're not sure we're buying it, though—it sounds like a phase Young Ju might be going through, because later on when things get bad with her father, she still resorts to prayer. Some habits (and faiths) are hard to break.
Quote #9
I tiptoe quietly across the large room. Uhmma sits by herself in the back row. Her head is bowed, her back rounded, shoulders slumped. For a moment, I stop walking and stare at her small, huddled form. The chorus up front sings a slow song filled with high notes that reach impossibly for the sky. Uhmma prays, though everyone else around her sings. (21.27)
Here's why religion is a complex issue: Young Ju may be turning into a non-believer because of how useless God has been so far in her life, but even she can't deny how powerful it is to see her mother praying in a pew—the moment even has its own angelic soundtrack ("high notes that reach impossibly for the sky"). Even if Young Ju's not sure about God, she respects the power of her mother's faith and her mother's clear need for a spiritual refuge.