Theme- sacrifice The characters in this novel have all shared a tragic tale with each of them sacrificing something for the better. For example, after Miriam is sentenced to death for killing Rehashed , in her final moments “ Miriam wished for so much Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the Hiram child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a women who had loved and been loved back.
She was leaving it as a friend, a guardian, A mother” (329). This quote is important because all Maria’s life she felt like she was not worth anything. But what was tragic was the fact that she loved this family so much she was willing to sacrifice her own life, happiness, and a chance to love again. Maria’s realization before her death was sad, because the fact that she was about to face her end and the only thing she could think of was how one family made her believe that she was a person and deserved happiness and love.
Additionally, when Miriam was at he hospital with Lila, and Leila was giving birth to her son kalmia, she didn’t scream once … “ Miriam saw now the sacrifices a mother made. Decency was but one. She thought ruefully of nana, of the sacrifices that she to had made. Nana, who could have given her away, or tossed her in a ditch somewhere and run. But she hadn’t. Instead, nana had endured the shame of being a Hiram, had shaped her life around the thankless task of raising Miriam and, in her own, loving her” (256). This quote was meaningful because Miriam never really understood why nana did some of the things she did. E always questioned if nana really loved her, and if the things she did was in Maria’s best interest. But here at this moment she realizes that nana did love her , and everything she did was for Miriam. Unlike jail who wouldn’t claim Miriam as his daughter and give her his full love and attention , nana took on both roles.
