How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I began to make plans. I doubted that I could live on the pension alone, but my silver earrings would help until I could find a job of some sort. But who would hire me? In the city I would be seen as the poor country girl I was, shrouded in a widow's sari and with no proper schooling. (6.23)
Making some plans to get the heck out of Dodge helps comfort Koly and give her hope. She's living in a dark situation with Mrs. Mehta, but this allows her to think beyond her current plight and imagine a future full of possibility and hope.
Quote #8
If there were such cruelness in the world, then it might indeed be true that Sass had taken me to this place of widows just to get rid of me. I was alone in a strange city with only a few rupees and no friends. (8.10)
This is the lowest point for Koly: Not only does she get ditched by the mother-in-law that she despises, she also doesn't have any plans for how to get herself out of this sticky situation. What's more? She's not even looking forward to the future anymore.
Quote #9
"I'll work the farm, but I'll have to live with my uncle until I fix the house. It's fallen apart since my maa and baap died." He reached down and, picking up a handful of pebbles, began to pitch them into the river. "When the house is finished," he said in a low voice, "I'll want a wife." (9.40)
Raji fills Koly in on his plans for the future. Unsurprisingly, they involve getting a wife and settling down on his farm. Koly's happy for him, but it's also bittersweet. It makes her think of her future, too. She wishes he could stay her friends with Raji forever, but knows he should go find a wife.