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1. How does Clara describe herself?

Clara describes herself as small-boned and short. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She says that she is common as a wren and as meek as a robin. However, inside she wants to be more than ordinary, simple, and small.

2. Where do Clara and her family live?

Clara and her family live in a Jewish settlement in Russia. They live in a row of straw-thatched homes that is near the forest. Their house is a home that is split between two families. Then their home is split again for her mother's grocery store.

3. What is the difference between what boys and girls learn in Clara's home?

The boys study the Torah, which will be their life's work. They will be scholars and not farm, teach, build, or bank. They pray and study the holy ways. Like all the other girls in the shtetl, Clara is learning obedience, hard work, a biddable spirit, and all the qualities a good wife needs. According to Clara's father, a well-educated girl needs to know only how to sign her name, read the women's prayer book, do a few sums, and write a letter to the parents of her betrothed.

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