Their marked optimism struck her as false, a contrivance built up by minds eager to forget. ... No rift this deep could heal.
-- Sadie (chapter 5)

Importance: This comes from Sadie's perspective when she considers her mother as a casualty of the Civil War. It is mentioned at the beginning of the novel soon after the war's end. She expresses that the happiness of those around her is gravely misplaced. By placing blinders over one's eyes, one cannot see the work that must done next. The end of the war was not the end of America's problems, and the willingness to believe this is labeled here as ignorance. It may be human to want to move forward and away from the tragedies and senselessness of war, especially between members of the same country, but this way of thinking is detrimental for society because it does not set themselves up for future success. Sadie believes in...