How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The passengers' relief turned to bewilderment and embarrassment, for the most godless among them had prayed for divine intervention. (1.5.4)
This is basically the Cutting for Stone version of "there are no atheists in foxholes." Basically, everyone can act like they're all tough and like they don't believe in God when they're just walking down the street playing with a yo-yo, but when they're looking mortality in the face, it's a different story.
Quote #5
"Perhaps she felt she deserved to die," Matron said, guessing at my mother's thoughts. (1.7.19)
Why would Sister Mary Joseph Praise feel she deserved to die? Well, go back and reread her name. Her parents didn't name her "sister"; the Church did. She's a nun, which is code for celibate, which is code for never getting it on. Ever. And we're pretty sure you all know where babies come from, so… you do the math.
Quote #6
Matron wondered if it scared my mother that she might die in Africa, a continent away from her birthplace. Perhaps deep in her—perhaps deep in every being—there lingers a desire to bring the circle of life back to its starting point, which in her case was Cochin. (1.7.20)
Death is final, as far as we know, so we can kind of see what Matron is getting at when she wonders about Sister Mary's feelings about dying far from home. Going back to where you started, to your birthplace, gives your life a feeling of being a never-ending cycle rather than a line that just drops off abruptly.