Chapter 2: Violet
Contains spoilers
Summary
- Violet resents her brother Graham for having educational opportunities and freedoms she lacks as a female.
- She secretly dislikes the inequality imposed by her father, who discourages women from physical activities.
- Violet outpaces Graham, implying her superiority in energy and vitality, despite her restrictive clothing.
- Graham is treated as incompetent and too young to enlist in a war that has already claimed many from their village.
- A sibling rivalry is evident, with Violet holding Graham's Latin workbook hostage over a language mistake.
- Violet runs through the household, attracting disapproval from the staff for her recklessness.
- The outdoors provides Violet with a sense of liberation and connection to nature, contrasting with her confined indoor life.
- Graham's animosity towards Violet is reflected in his inability to appreciate her affection for insects and nature.
- A past incident involving a beehive accident damaged Violet and Graham's once-close relationship and led to his departure for boarding school.
- Violet reflects on her limited life experience, never having visited the nearby village due to her father's strict rules.
- She dreams of exploring the world beyond her sheltered life and aspires to become a scientist, possibly an entomologist.
- Violet has compassion for animals and secretly harbors a jumping spider, highlighting her kindness and curiosity.
- There's a mystery surrounding Violet's mother, with no pictures and minimal information about her past.
- Violet imagines a romantic backstory for her parents' relationship, despite a lack of evidence.
- Overheard conversations suggest that Violet's mother was considered 'uncanny' or strange, which is a trait that Violet seems to have inherited.
- Violet feels out of place in her own family and clings to speculations and brief anecdotes about her mother to form a connection.