Our long days are reiterations of the long days that came before. It's tough to tell the young from old or man from woman because the desert has a way of erasing the things that make us each unique."
-- Sarah (chapter 1)

Importance: Sarah is explaining where they are and the conditions they face. She is in a constant search to keep her identity in a place where she is merely one of dozens of workers, and where everyone is beaten down by the sheer brutality of the place and the work.

The creatures that live out here are smart and resilient; they have good instincts; they know when to strike and when to rest. I tell myself that I should be more like them."
-- Sarah (chapter 3)

Importance: Sarah is comparing herself to the creatures in the desert. She is feeling guilty because her action forced them to run away from their previous job, leaving behind the...