He didn’t ever hit/ her again, but she lived in the fear/that he would, which had everything to do/with her habits of silence"
-- Anderson's mother (stained glass curtains in my mother's mouth paragraph 11)

Importance: This characterization of Anderson’s mother’s silence crystalizes the fears of all victims. Silence becomes a habit, a coping technique to ward off further assault. Fear renders the victim mute. This quotes how paralyzing victimization is.

spinning/at the center a compass that had lost/her true north
-- Anderson (directionally challenged paragraph 4)

Importance: This disorientation foreshadows Anderson’s loss of identity and direction following the rape. References to north recur throughout the work, underscoring Anderson’s quest for direction and navigation to find her way back to her true self. True north can be defined as self-actualization.

The taste of shame smells/like stubborn vomit in your hair/lingering no matter how often you wash it
-- Anderson (closeted shame paragraph 5)

Importance: Shame is a recurrent motif in connection with victims, particularly those victims...