Perhaps in a child, eccentricity is more easily forgiven.
-- Deborah Feldman (chapter 1)

Importance: Feldman says this of her father's youthful quirks. While his family accepted his earlier oddities, later in life he was cast out and considered unstable and unfit to raise his daughter. The line also speaks to the way Deborah is regarded by her family and community. While they forgive and accept her childhood eccentricities, her secrets and love for reading, these are the very same reasons they condemn her as a young woman.

I try, but I can't help my natural impulse to talk back.
-- Deborah Feldman (chapter 1)

Importance: Feldman says this of her childhood habit of speaking out. While she is trained to be quiet, silence and voicelessness emphasized for women, Deborah feels her true nature competes with these restrictions. The older she gets, the harder it is for her to keep quiet. She feels in constant resistance with her religious entrapments. Ultimately this...