How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I saw them that afternoon through Anys's eyes: shackled to their menfolk as surely as the plough-horse to the shares. (2.3.26)
The more time Anna spends with Anys, the more she leans toward her friend's perspective. Why should she repress her sexuality? Why should she expect some man to take care of her? Anna reckons with these questions in an intimate way.
Quote #8
"That man was a ship's barber; he pulled teeth and amputated limbs. He knew nothing of women's bodies. But you do know. You can do this, Anna. Use your mother-hands." (2.7.52)
This passage merges Anna's innate maternal nature with her emerging feminist sensibility. She doesn't have to reject her "feminine" side in order to be a liberated woman. She can have both.
Quote #9
"All those ancestors who stared at me from their portraits when I was a girl [...] I wonder what they'd say about their descendant if they could see her now?" (2.10.68)
They'd probably be shocked that their descendant has become a weekend miner, first off. What's more, Anna and Elinor are transgressing social norms by doing work that is exclusively performed by men. And guess what? It pays off. These two are the most dynamic duo this side of Batman and Robin.