significance of Dirt Island?

Dirt Island, the plot of land where Eileen grew up, is symbolic of autonomy. Eileen leaves Dirt Island after getting pregnant and married, because she has been rejected from her family. When she later inherits a portion of Dirt Island, she refuses to give it up in spite of Richard's cruelty and violence. In maintaining her rights to the land, she is asserting her place in the family and her autonomy over her body, her life, and her story.