Eileen Devine had walked along a cliff edge all her adult life, and this flu had only tipped her over.”
-- Julia (Red)

Importance: This quote reveals how poor women's health is always in jeopardy due to their abysmal working and living conditions, combined with the pressure of several pregnancies. Eileen Devine was only 24 years old, but on her 6th pregnancy. The constant strain on her body from pregnancy and childbirth leaves her susceptible to all illness and injury, and if she had not contracted the grippe, she could have easily died from another illness. Eileen Devine represents the suffering of most married women in Ireland, pressured by society to continually get pregnant despite lack of resources, at the cost of the total degradation of their health.

Puritans who thought ignorance was the shield of purity—they made me angry.”
-- Julia (Red)

Importance: Julia hear reveals that she values awareness and education. This anger foreshadows her future...