Quote 1
"An actress," Tom sneers. "What sort of way is that for a woman to live, without a solid home, husband, children? Running about like she's her own lord and master. She'll certainly never be accepted in society as a proper lady." (3.28)
Besides trying to strong-arm the whole world, Tom has very narrow ideas (like teeny-tiny) about what a woman should be allowed to do and how a man should keep his wife.
Quote 2
"Magic?" Elizabeth asks. "They were witches?"
"Not as we've come to think of witches. They would have been mystics and healers, women who worked with herbs and delivered babies. But it would have made them suspect. Women who have power are always feared," she says sadly. (12.15-16)
In patriarchal society, women are kept quiet, weak, and dependent in order to be easier to control—because nothing's harder to control than empowered people.
Quote 3
"Oh, yes. These women could help spirits cross over into the afterlife. They had the power of prophecy and clairvoyance. The veil between the supernatural world and this one was a very thin one for them. They could see and feel things that others couldn't." (12.55)
Miss Moore seems to be a treasure trove of supernatural lore. In this one little snippet, Gemma discovers more about her magical powers, and so do we.
Quote 4
"Now, it is very important that you conduct yourself in a manner befitting to your station while at Spence. It's fine to be kind to the lesser girls, but remember that they are not your equals." (4.19)
Tom is just full of delightful little tidbits of useful information, isn't he? And this little speech clues us in to just how wealthy Gemma's family is—she is even richer than some of the rich girls who go to Spence.
Quote 5
"Father's no addict. Not Father," he says, as if he means to convince a jury. "He'll be fine now that he's back in England." (3.53)
Good 'ol Tom is never at a loss for a lie, whether he's lying to himself or his sister about the nature of their family. It seems as though he needs to have these lies in place to keep feeling good about himself and to feel confident in society.
Quote 6
"I say, Gemma, are you all right?" Tom is truly concerned.
I'm going mad, Tom. Help me.
"I was simply in a hurry." The sound coming out of my mouth is a cross between a laugh and a howl, like the sound a madwoman would make. (3.78-80)
Have you ever covered up what was really going on inside because you thought the other person couldn't understand? Gemma does this a lot. It is technically lying, but is it wrong to keep some things private?