How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
And my mind spun backward to our old lives, on the far side of all the surging sea. A moment flashed before me like a glimpse from deep within a crystal ball. There was the ancient humped figure of Aunt Fannie Fenimore. Bald patches, spectacles, and all: Aunt Fannie upon her powder puff throne.
I remembered the day I'd gone to her through the hedge to learn about our futures. I recalled her extending both her old hands stretched wide. "This is how you hold on to your family," she had said. (16.26-27)
While Beatrice is getting married, Helena can't help but think about the old days. It sounds to us like she's being taken over by her memories here—just check out how she says that "my mind spun backward" and a memory "flashed before me." Those are some pretty intense experiences Helena is having of her past. Do you think this means Helena is finally escaping her past? Or do they tell us that she's still caught up in her old memories?