The Ropemaker Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

It was the people—Anja cocky and bossy as ever, especially now that she was so excited at their homecoming, but different. When Tilja had given her the mother-of-pearl comb she had bought for her in the market at Ramram, and somehow ferried home unbroken, through all her adventures, Anja had been delighted with it, but instead of rushing off and looking for something she could see her reflection in and then flaunting it in front of everyone and pestering them for admiration, she had first thanked Tilja rather gravely, almost as a grown-up might have done, and actually said it must have been a nuisance to carry it all that far. Yes, Anja had changed, because for several months now she had been the elder daughter, and one day Woodbourne was going to be hers, and she had begun to understand in her bones what that meant. (20.19)

Tilja realizes she's not the only one who's grown up during her absence from Woodbourne. Anja has assumed responsibility for her future duties at Woodbourne and acts more maturely—in other words, Tilja and her sister are new people. These two semi-strangers must negotiate a new relationship than the one they had previously.

Quote #5

Perhaps, she thought, it was something to do with the magic dying out of the forest. Once that had happened, what was the point of Ma being at Woodbourne at all, instead of Grayne? What was the point of all those Urlasdaughters before her, trudging out year after year through the winter snows to sing to the unicorns? Twenty generations of certainty, gone. Oh, the cedars were talking again. Only that afternoon Meena had sat by the lake with the unicorns spread round her, singing to tell them she was home, and was reweaving the magic for another twenty generations, But nothing would ever bring back the old certainties into Ma's own mind. So she fiddled with her hair. (20.22)

Ma's lack of confidence in the magic makes Tilja wonder what will happen if the power fades from the Valley. If that happens, then what's the point of the past twenty generations of her family doing their duty? All of their magical tasks become meaningless if they can't perpetuate the enchantment. She and her mother call into question their entire family history, though this seems to cause a greater lack of uncertainty in her mother than it does in Tilja.

Quote #6

Without a word he picked her up as if he were about to lift her onto Dusty's back, just as he'd done almost a year ago, sending her out to look for Ma by the lake. He held her for a moment, studying her face, and set her down. (20.27)

While many things have altered in Tilja's family dynamic, one thing hasn't—her relationship with her father. When they reunite, he sweeps her up in his arms just like he did before she left. He worried terribly while she was gone—as Ma mentions in a previous paragraph—and Tilja later expresses that she finds this continuity reassuring.