You will see that I'm a moral woman, that all I want is to be clean.
-- Narrator (Pages 3 - 45)

Importance: The narrator uses the first person direct address to speak to the coin throughout the novel. At this early juncture of her account, this point of view technique makes it seem as if the narrator is breaking the fourth wall to speak to the reader. Over time, the "you" proves to be the coin, which is symbolic of the narrator's trauma. In speaking to the coin, the narrator is trying to make sense of what she has experienced and to distinguish herself from her loss. This line introduces the narrator's internal journey and establishes her obsession with cleanliness and purity.

At some point, the shekel dropped from my hand, into my mouth, and disappeared.
-- Narrator (Pages 3 - 45)

Importance: The author uses this flashback to provide insight into the narrator's past. The narrator largely avoids talking about her past...