How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Olive is pushing twenty-one without a man in sight. And so they're going to have to try Europe." […]
"Aren't the young men of Europe as particular as the young men here?" Louise wondered.
"As I understand it, they're not," I said. "Besides, in Europe, money buys everything. But with us, it's family that counts. Family." (1.36-38)
Right from the get-go, Helena lets us know that Europe is different from America. According to her, in Europe it's all about money and in America it's all about family. As she travels to England, keep an eye out for whether Helena's opinions change.
Quote #2
Louise nodded. "Mrs. Minturn said it would take money to unlock the doors of Europe. Nobody in Europe is interested in poor Americans. No young man is. Evidently they have enough poor people of their own." (2.54)
Helena and her sisters are trying to learn all they can about Europe—now that the Upstairs Cranstons are travelling there, these mice want to know what's on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. So far they've spent a lot of time focusing on money. Do you think this association of money with Europe stays strong throughout the book? Or does it change as the mice travel to England?
Quote #3
"A… mouse steward?" I said faintly.
"You lot don't get out much, do you?" Nigel the steward said. "This is a British ship with British service."
Oh. (6.41-43)
When Helena and her siblings encounter Nigel, they don't know what to think of him. He's got a different accent, that's for sure. When Nigel explains that this is a British ship, the Cranston mice learn that they are about to encounter some new customs. What do you think of Helena's reaction: "Oh"? Does she seem excited to check out a new culture? Or does she seem scared?