“Splendid images drifted through his mind, golden forms and shapes, any one of which might be the destiny of this very small ingot that he, Ranofer the son of Thutra, had poured.”

Ranofer reveals his passion for goldwork and pride in his heritage, two of the only things he can call his own. Both help sustain him in his abusive relationship with Gebu.

“Heavy as a yoke, responsibility settled over Ranofer’s mind.”

Ranofer feels a sense of dread and a moral obligation to stop Ibni, demonstrating a strong sense of ethics. He is horrified that he has been part of Ibni’s scheme. This quote also exemplifies McGraw’s theme of doing the right thing and her use of figurative language.

“There was a moment’s awkward silence, during which Ranofer struggled without much success against the familiar frightened loneliness that had swept in again as through an opened door.” 

McGraw’s description expertly conjures a forlorn visual image of Ranofer’s isolation from others. Heqet touches a nerve with his questioning—something Ranofer avoids because his father’s death and new life are too painful to talk or think about.