How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The preacher had taught abstinence from alcohol, from meat, and most of all from sex, but it turned out that he didn't seem to believe those laws applied to him. Nadya had left soon afterward, coming down from the Finnish border and ending up working at a hotel in Giron, which was where she'd met Einar. (16.10)
Even though the book tells us how great religion is from Nadya and Maria's perspectives, it also shares how hypocritical it can be too. It looks like not everyone follows the rules found in the book.
Quote #5
The inhabitants of Nome had no church as yet, and the joke started to spread that Maria was the church. You only had to spend half an hour in her company to get a year's worth of preaching— that was what they said. And though Einar was a God-fearing man, Anna more than once heard her father question Maria's faith, though it was little Sig who really said something bad. (23.9)
We gotta hand it to Maria—she knows what she believes and she doesn't mind telling everyone all about it. In fact, she's so caught up in her religious beliefs, that she becomes the go-to person for anything to do with the Bible.
Quote #6
She swallowed her fear, and suddenly feeling the need for some kind of help, wondered where her mother's little black book was. Without knowing it she longed for the faith it contained, for the hope it might give, where there was none. (29.53)
When Anna is in trouble, she turns to the Bible, just like her mom. We'd like to point out that she's not religious in any way before, but when times get tough, she tries to think about what might comfort her, and the Bible does the trick.