How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I went over to the closet and pulled out a green wool jumper. Women weren't allowed to wear pants at Kingdom Hall because the elders said it was being disrespectful to God—which made no sense to me. I mean, Eve was hopping around the Garden of Eden naked and God didn't seem to be mad about that. (16.10)
Mama's conversion imposes a lot of new rules in Toswiah/Evie's life, but it also forces her to explore her own ideas about God. And right here, Toswiah/Evie isn't really buying it.
Quote #8
Jehovah's Witnesses believe you go back to the dust after you die—that it's like you never were. They believe a few people go to heaven and some go to the New World that God's gonna create after He gets tired of how messed up this one is. No hell, though. Heaven, New World, or dust—those are your options.
Toswiah and Cameron? Dust. Evie and Anna? New World. Daddy? Already living in another religion's hell. Mama? Heaven? Who knows. (16.11-12)
Here's another place where Toswiah/Evie applies the tenets of Mama's religion to the practical elements of her life. Why does she apply each afterlife location to each family member?
Quote #9
"Or what about us?" I yelled. "What about us? What did we do to deserve this?!"
Mama shook her head. "The Lord works in mysterious ways. He has his plans and it's not for us to understand. There's a reason why we're here. We just don't know it yet." (16.45-46)
This is one of the few places where Toswiah/Evie actually actively yells and screams about what has happened to her family. Mama believes there's a reason, and later, Cameron/Anna admits that she believes there's a reason for everything that happens, too. How do Cameron/Anna and Mama, who have very different beliefs, come to the same conclusion?