The Home Quotes

How we cite our quotes:

Quote #1

“I don’t remember my parents at all,” she told him. “My father was born on the island and was sent to England to school. He met my mother there and brought her back to Barbados with him. They had only three years together. They were both drowned on a pleasure trip to Antigua, and Grandfather and I were left alone.”

“Were there no women to care for you?”

“Oh, slaves of course. I had a black nursemaid. But I never needed anyone but Grandfather. He was –” There were no words to explain Grandfather. (2.20-22)

As she explains here, Kit lived with her grandfather as a child. She was raised by him and her black nursemaid. What does it mean that there are “no words to explain Grandfather”? How is Grandfather “home” for Kit?

Quote #2

She relaxed slightly at the first glimpse of her uncle’s house. At least it looked solid and respectable, compared to the cabins they had passed. Two and a half stories it stood, gracefully proportioned, with leaded glass windows and clapboards weathered to a silvery gray. (3.5)

Though the home of Aunt Rachel and Uncle William is plain, it is also sturdy and respectable. How is the house a reflection of the family?

Quote #3

“You mean that, just on an impulse, you left your rightful home and sailed halfway across the world?”

“No, it was not an impulse exactly. You see, I really had no home to leave.” (3.65-66)

We learn that Kit lost her home in Barbados. Because her grandfather was in debt, she was forced to sell his land. Homeless, she is driven to Connecticut to the Wood family.