Previous
Mr. Nielsen
Sarah is the biological child Vivian/Niamh has with her first husband, Dutchy. At birth, Vivian/Niamh names her daughter “May” after her sister, Maisie, who shares Sarah’s blonde hair. Sarah’s biological father, Dutchy, dies in battle while Vivian/Niamh is pregnant with Sarah. Overwhelmed by grief, Vivian/Niamh gives her daughter up for adoption. Sarah then grows up wondering about her birth mother’s identity and story. She becomes a successful musician and music teacher, has children and grandchildren, and lives in North Dakota. At the age of sixty-eight, she meets her birth mother for the first time. She is the grandmother of Becca.
Sarah Dunnell/ “May” Quotes in Orphan Train
The Orphan Train quotes below are all either spoken by Sarah Dunnell/ “May” or refer to Sarah Dunnell/ “May”. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 36
Quotes
Lying in that hospital bed I feel all of it: the terrible weight of sorrow, the crumbling of my dreams. I sob uncontrollably for all that I’ve lost – the love of my life, my family, a future I’d dared to envision. And in that moment I make a decision. I can’t go through this again. I can’t give myself to someone so completely only to lose them. I don’t want, ever again, to experience the loss of someone I love beyond reason.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40
Quotes
Molly touches Vivian’s shoulder, frail and bony under her thin silk cardigan. She half turns, half smiles, her eyes brimming with tears. Her hand flutters to her clavicle, to the silver chain around her neck, the claddagh charm – those tiny hands clasping a crowned heart: love, loyalty, friendship – a never-ending path that leads away from home and circles back.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Orphan Train LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sarah Dunnell/ “May” Quotes in Orphan Train
The Orphan Train quotes below are all either spoken by Sarah Dunnell/ “May” or refer to Sarah Dunnell/ “May”. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 36
Quotes
Lying in that hospital bed I feel all of it: the terrible weight of sorrow, the crumbling of my dreams. I sob uncontrollably for all that I’ve lost – the love of my life, my family, a future I’d dared to envision. And in that moment I make a decision. I can’t go through this again. I can’t give myself to someone so completely only to lose them. I don’t want, ever again, to experience the loss of someone I love beyond reason.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40
Quotes
Molly touches Vivian’s shoulder, frail and bony under her thin silk cardigan. She half turns, half smiles, her eyes brimming with tears. Her hand flutters to her clavicle, to the silver chain around her neck, the claddagh charm – those tiny hands clasping a crowned heart: love, loyalty, friendship – a never-ending path that leads away from home and circles back.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
