Cion Chapter 9 and 10

Themes:

The themes of chapter 9 are intimacy and dedication. In this chapter Toloki decides after messing up Mahlon and Orpah’s “memories” that he would find Mahlon’s mother to get on his good side and make him happy. He even tells Ruth about the idea “I want to help. You once told me it would make all the difference in Mahlon’s life if the grave was located and a tombstone was erected on it.” (pg.274) In this chapter they speak more about Toloki and Orpah being intimate with each other which is made clear with him speaking about their encounters with one another. “Orpah, on the other hand was not only an emotional virgin. She was a virgin virgin. And this discovery did not make our first real night together particularly memorable.” And “Tonight is the fourth time and our bodies are beginning to find each other. Me and Orpah are screaming like there is no tomorrow.” (pg. 278) Later on he ends up finding Margaret Tobias’s grave (Mahlon’s mom) with the help of Terry Gilkey from the Division of Water and Sewer company and at the ceremony they hold he says “Today I am going to mourn for you like I’ve never mourned before.” He decides to incorporate some of the things that he has see when spying on Mahlon and Orpah’s “memories”. The family is utterly shocked by this. In the end Mahlon thanks him. “Thank you, Son of Egypt” (pg.288)

The themes of chapter 10 are growing and moving on. In this chapter you see that is has been one whole year sense Toloki arrived in Athens and Kilvert and he has decided to leave.

You’ll also start to see Orpah and Toloki becoming officially together by there plans to leave together. “The journey we are about to undertake fills her with joy… Especially because she is a part of the journey.”(pg. 291) You see that Orpah has become more involved and wants to become a mourner with Toloki. “After… we set off to Niall Quigley’s grave for our daily dose of mourning” They discover after being written by a professor named William Edwards that there could possible be more mourners in Virginia. In this chapter you see that Orpah becomes more confident about her body. “She was no longer afraid of the mark of the Irishman. She was no longer ashamed of it.” (pg.295) Orpah even performs again at a fund-raiser for Katrina victims. One of the biggest examples in this chapter of growing is Mahlon started growing flowers again. “And there I could see rose bushes among the gnomes.” (pg.297) Obed had even moved on from his schemes of making money. He started going to Bible school to become ordained minister and had an honest job. One of the last examples of growing is that they find the sampler. “The good news that had made Ruth happy was the discovery of Abednego’s quilt--- which, for those who knew the story, was really Nicodemus’s sampler---used as batting in the quilt Orpah tore.” (pg.309) In the end they move onto Virginia and beyond.