Purity

Throughout the novel, the author thematically explores purity through her first person narrator. Molly’s belief that she can establish her purity of character through physically cleanliness is rooted in her grandmother’s advice. When Gran was alive she “drilled into [Molly] the importance of a clean and orderly home” (56). Prose establishes the root of this belief system in the main character’s familial dynamic in order to explore purity as it relates to religious connotations. Molly uses her grandmother’s advice as a she would a religious text; she consults Gran’s wisdom for solace. Molly’s cleaning rituals parallel religious rituals for redemptions, atonement, and forgiveness. She turns to cleaning in times of need instead of turning to a higher power, praying, or saying a rosary.

Molly’s first person narration is punctuated with reverence for cleanliness. As she describes her work at the...